Translation of article in Billed Bladet #51, 2012.
Børnene havde en fest – The children had a party/blast.
Written by Dorthe Quist – Who made it a pure vacation to translate this article.
Crown Princess Mary surprised and brought all four children with her to the Royal Danish Music Conservatory’s Children’s Choir to Christmas concert in Esajas Church. A decision that delighted the many other guests in the church, who got plenty of opportunity to experience the Princes and Princesses on, well, you can almost call it in full swing. It was certainly four happy active children who during the concert both sang loudly along to the Christmas children’s songs they knew and Josephine followed in the footsteps of her older sister and danced a little to the music.
For a couple of years the Crown Princess, who is patron for the children’s choir, have had both Christian and Isabella to the evocative concert, but this year, she and Frederik assessed that the twins too, Vincent and Isabella who turn two come January, were old enough to attend.
The church and the Children’s Choir had made sure there were four little packages ready for the children on the bench, just as there was water and little plastic cups ready by the pillar for Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine. An Assistant from the church also sat outermost on the royal bench and could step in with a helping hand when Mary’s two weren’t enough.
Both Vincent and Josephine sat still on the arms of Frederik and Mary, when they arrived to the church. Isabella was sweet and helped her mother by holding her welcoming-bouquet, while Mary took of the coats of the children, whereupon all four children proceeded to open the Christmas presents that were waiting for them on the bench. For the next few minutes all the children were eagerly preoccupied in studying their own presents and seeing what their siblings had had. And it was really a bull’s eye with the present, which caused a big delight with all the children. Christian got a Kendama – a modern version of a yoyo, which is the most popular toy right now, Isabella eagerly turned her “turning-doll” (*) up and down. The little twins each got a cloth-lucia-wreat, which Josephine in particular was very fond of. She put it on the head straight away and there it remained for a long time, even though sister Isabella would really like to try it.
Josephine quickly revealed that she is made of the same genes as her older sister and (she) had problems sitting still for longer periods. Just as Isabella did, when she was younger, Josephine was also fond of wandering around on her own to look at all things around her. Several times she stood right in front of the children’s choir and starred straight at the singing children with big eyes and open mouth. But all the time within reach and sight of mother, Crown Princess Mary.
Isabella would very much like to show that she had become a genuine big sister, who should help her little siblings to sit nicely, be quiet and come over to mother. But little determined Josephine wasn’t keen to put up with that and Mary many times had to stop her big girl from playing “mother” for her siblings.
Just as much as Isabella and Josephine are “mother’s girls”, so too are Vincent and Christian “daddy’s girls”. Vincent sat quietly and looked at the children’s choir, who stood a few meters away while he hugged his bulldozer (**) that he had brought with him from home.
Towards the end of the hour long concert the strength and the mood was running out, especially for the little twins and when Josephine at some point began to cry heartbreakingly, it became too much for the otherwise calm Vincent who also let out a howl. That made Mary gesticulate to Frederik that he should take Vincent with him to a corner of the church – a little away from the other children and the choir. Frederik ended up by standing way out in a room next to the altar, but a few minutes later he came back in with a happy little Vincent who had come up to sit on his dad’s shoulders.
Before all the children completely lost their patience Crown Princess Mary brought out a little bag with goodies from her shoulder bag and at once the children dropped their toys and milled around their mother, where the each got a little treat. It was obvious that they all knew mother’s little bag with sweets, which has probably been out many times before when it has been necessary to put a damper on the children.
When the conductor of the Children’s Choir, Bente Colding-Jørgensen, after the Christmas concert thanked the audience and the royal guests for coming both Mary and Frederik’s patience with the tired children was almost out and they were very quick to put the coats on the children. Isabella again helped her mother carrying the neat lilac bouquet of flowers whereupon she together with Christian ran after Vincent who made his escape down the aisle and quickly out the church, until his older siblings caught him up. (***)
The big warm Volkswagen Multvan was parked in front of the stairs to the church and waited and Frederik and Mary quickly ad routinely strapped in the children in their seats and then it was tie for a last wave from the patron Mary to the entire children’s choir, which had lined up on the stairs to wave goodbye.
These are personal observations from the photographer and reporter:
Vincent sat still on his father’s lap for more than half the concert in contrast to his sister (Josephine).
At some point he lay on his belly and played with his bulldozer beneath his dad’s seat.
Twice he “got away” from Frederik and made it all the way to the conductor’s music stand, before being reined in by daddy.
It was observed that Christian got a little crossed when Mary told him to pick up some paper he had dropped on the floor.
But he lit up when the choir sang “In the attic sits the nisse with his Christmas-porridge”. (See my note in the DRF Christmas thread). And sang along loudly.
He turned around many times to chat and laugh with the Heering’s youngest daughter, Rosemarie.
It was also noticed that Isabella had problems not being a “mother” for her youngest siblings and all the time wanting to help them, fetch them and so on.
She sang along aloud when the choir sang: “A child is born in Bethlehem”. (****)
That she is a loving big sister, who many times kissed her little siblings on the cheek.
Josephine has inherited her older sister’s “black powder in the bottom” (*****). That she just like Isabella likes to pull up her dress when’s she’s walking around.
That she immediately put on the cloth Lucia wreath on her head, that she got as a present from the church and didn’t want to take it off again.
She stood several times, as if paralyzed, in front of the children’s choir and starred at the singing girls and boys.
A couple of captions:
Show how Josephine was busy munching away on raisins, while Isabella was busy studying her two brothers presents.
And that Mary had to rein in Josephine who was on her way over to the choir with mother’s bouquet in her hands.
(*) Don’t know what it’s called in English.
(**) Actually a JCB if we are to be pedantic.
(***) Actually he was blocked by a PET officer, before he risked tumbling down the stairs.
(****) Amazing! It wasn't possible for me to find a decent sounding version of the psalm on YouTube...
(*****) Idiom, used to describe a very lively child who cannot sit still.
thanks Iceflower
