Summary of article in Billed Bladet #49, 2011.
Hele familien samles på Marselisborg - The whole family is gathering at Marselisborg.
Written by Annelise Weimann.
M&F and their children are expected at Marselisborg in Aarhus on the 23th December. Joachim and the fair Marie will also come. Nikolai and Felix will spend Christmas with their mother this year, so they will be abscent..
QMII and PH will go to Marselisborg about a week prior to the 24th in order to prepare things.
QMII explains: "I look forward every time we are going to Aarhus. When we celebrate Christmas with the family, we do have a big Christmas tree, which however is not standing in the middle of the floor, because in my family we've had a tradition about dancing around the Christmas tree. But we always sing Christmas songs. (A popular song, mainly for children) and a psalm".
The tree is a big red spruce, which is placed in the large sitting room. It's usually QMII herself who decorates the tree during the 24th. (1)
The Christmas decorations are homemade and if something is worn. (2), she'll just make something new.
Then there is the dining table in the big diningroom: "I always decorate the Christmas table myself and I make most of the Christmas decorations myself, I've done that since childhood. I try to set the table differently from year to year, I'm not good at repititions- But I often choose the blue theme and set with the blue flueted set, which was here when we came". (3)
The Christmas menu is the same every year.
Riceporridge with white beer. - There is an almond in the porridge. (4)
Then goose.
And for dessert plum pudding.
PH has managed to replace the traditional English Christmas cake with a French Buche de Noel. (Which perhaps our French members can tell us about?)
The DRF go to service in Aarhus Cathedral in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. (5) QMII: "It's really one of the loveliest churches in the country. It's very special and I'm very fond of it". (6)
The 25th and 26th are for relaxation. QMII will no doubt attend service several times. (7)
On the 27th the menfolks will go hunting at nearby Frijsenborg Manor.
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(1) In our home it's brought in a couple of days before Christmas and decorated by mainly Mrs. Muhler and the children, while I put the star on top and rig the lights. - They claim I just put things randomly on the tree, so I usually end up directing the operations from an armchair...
(2) Perhaps chewed to pieces by children and/or dachshunds?
(3) When they took over in the late 60's. The blue flueted set is considered archetypical Danish. Two generations ago everyone had such a set for everyday use. Nowadays it's pricey!
http://www.smagarde.nu/itempics/111/3860/202.jpg
- And no, we don't have it ourselves. We just have an archetypical rural Madame Blue cofeepot
http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ziBELUGxsuc/Sa...E/MadamBla.jpg - which is also a very common set that has become very fahionable.
(4) Here it's soup.
Followed by the main course, which is roast pork and medister (a kind of sausages), with a fat sauce, red cabbage, glaced potatos, chips and what not.
For dessert it's ris a la mande, also with an almond. - The one who gets the almond win a prize. The trick is of course to tease the children (and elderly, they are just as bad!) by pretending you have the almond hidden in your mouth.
(5) Here most of the family attend one of the services in the village church, while I stay at home and keep an eye on the food and share a wee schnapps or two with another relative...
(6) Aarhus Cathedral was build right after the Reformation in the 1530's. It's very large and very austere to look at from the outside, conforming to the Protestantism that was emerging at that time..
(7) Here the 25th is also relaxation time. More out of necessity. We've simply eaten too much - again! Also time to clear up after the guests, and the children can get aquinted with their presents.
On the 26th it's Christmas lunch! The big cold table with smorgasboard ad libitum and plenty of schnapps! (Yes, it's among the favorite hunting seasons for the police and their alcometers) This time with my family.
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