Julefrokost!

Last Saturday we had our staff julefrokost. Julefrokost means Christmas lunch, but isn't necessarily really a lunch. They are really common, and most people will go to a bunch during December: with work, with family, with friends, with your old high school class, etc. It's such a big deal that all of the trains are free on weekends in December (to discourage drunk driving).

The event starts with dinner. First comes the fish course, with assorted herring eaten on rye bread. Next is the meat course, which mainly means flæskesteg -- roast pork with "cracklings" (weird crunchy skin layer on the top). Then for desert there is rice pudding with cherry sauce. All of this is Christmas lunch food, as opposed to Christmas food, which is a whole different menu. All is enjoyed with Christmas beer, wine, and snaps. In between courses, you sing Danish Christmas carols (and, in our case, some American ones).

After dinner is a gift-exchange game called pakkeleg ("package play"), which involves dice and gift-stealing. Everyone brings a wrapped present to the party, and then during the game they all run around taking them from each other. Eventually time is called and then you are stuck with whatever you've got. You can end up with lots or none. I got a big candle with snowmen and candy canes, but others got more exciting things like chocolate penises and various parts of a dismembered mannequin.

Next there is music and dancing, including running around outside in the dark holding hands in a big circle and running around a tree screaming a song whose lyrics translate to:
"Now it's Christmas again, now it's Christmas again, and Christmas lasts until Easter.
No it isn't true, no it isn't true, for in between comes the fast".
I always thought you were supposed to "dance" around a "Christmas tree", but apparently running around any tree will do. Actually, I'm surprised nobody broke an ankle or anything, given that we were running around in heels (the women, anyway) in the dark, on cobblestones, being dragged by the hand, after perhaps a bit too much to drink... But apparently no one was seriously injured.

Anyway, then is more dancing, etc. for a long time... everything takes a long time, actually: our Julefrokost started at 5, and continued until midnight, at which point a bus came to take us to the club "Vega" where we had VIP passes... very classy. Meaning, free entry into the club, reserved booths, and drink tickets. Pretty nice. Even the "old" (as in, over 30) staff came to the club... It was amusing to come into work on Monday and listen to my boss and other people in administration talking about their hazy memories of the night!

So, a fun night, and interesting cultural experience! Very different from most American office Christmas parties, I think!