Simple Danish Newsletter #38

Hi friends,​
We hope you’ve all had a better December than we did, as both of us were hit with a pretty bad case of pneumonia that knocked us out for a couple of weeks.

Fortunately, we managed to get back on our feet just in time to celebrate Christmas and now New Year’s Eve with our families.

This time of year is perfect for checking in, reflecting on past progress, and looking ahead to set goals for the future. For us, 2024 was a significant year. We moved, started new jobs, and, most importantly, launched the Simple Danish Newsletter—a milestone we’ll always remember!

We owe a big thank you to all of you, our readers. Your kind words and support are what keep us motivated to write ❤️.

Looking ahead to 2025, we have even bigger plans for the newsletter and for Denmark&Me. We hope to continue entertaining and educating you with even more—and better—content.

While many people struggle to keep their New Year’s resolutions, studies suggest that setting goals at a “temporal landmark,” like the start of a new year, increases the likelihood of achieving them. This phenomenon is called the “Fresh Start Effect.”

With that in mind, we want to ask you: What are your Danish-related New Year’s resolutions?
Are you planning to get started with learning Danish, sign up for a course, ramp up your current efforts, or maybe pick up where you left off?

No matter what your goals are, we’d love to hear them. Let’s start the new year strong, together!

Our Favorite Things ❤️

What We’re Eating Today: Kransekage

Kransekage (literally “wreath-cake”) is a traditional Danish (and Norwegian) confection eaten on New Years Eve. It is made from finely chopped almonds (or marzipan), egg-whites and sugar.

The dough is mixed and then traditionally piped in a number of concentric circles that are layered on top of each other after baking. If you are baking for a smaller crowd, you can also just shape the dough into smaller strips of cake.

They are traditionally decorated with icing.

When made well, the cake It is usually slightly hard on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside.

What Are We Watching This Week

The Danish King’s New Year’s Speech (currently published on ​dr.dk, but it will likely appear on YouTube soon).

For the past 52 years, New Year’s Eve in Denmark has included the Queen’s New Year’s Speech—a tradition many Danes hold dear. For most of us, there hasn’t been a year in our lives without Queen Margrethe addressing the nation.

However, after Queen Margrethe abdicated last year, the throne passed to her son, Prince Frederik. This year marked his first New Year’s Speech as King Frederik, making the event particularly significant.

The pressure to perform was high, and every word of his speech will undoubtedly be analyzed in the coming days. We think he performed quite well, but see for yourself! His speech is delivered very slowly and clearly, making it an excellent listening exercise for beginner and intermediate Danish learners.

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Idiom of the Week: En klods om benet

Literally; A block around the leg

This idiom refers to something or someone that acts as a burden or an obstacle, making it harder to move forward—whether literally or figuratively. The expression stems from the idea of being held back, much like trying to walk or run with a heavy block tied to your leg. It is often used to describe situations where something is unnecessarily weighing you down or hindering progress.

For Example:

• Peter: “Hvordan går det med dit projekt?”
• Anna: “Ærligt talt, det er som om budgettet er en klods om benet. Vi kan slet ikke komme videre!”

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Our New Posts

Like in our last newsletter, we have converted one our previous podcast episodes, “Sport i Danmark”, to a YouTube video with karaoke like transcripts so you can follow along. You can watch the video here: Sport i Danmark.

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That’s all from us for this week. We wish you all a Happy New Year, and all the best with your endevours in 2025 🎉 🥂

Kram fra,

Antonina & Rasmus

Denmark&Me