Vores Første Jul i Danmark – Holidays, House Full, and a New Year

We’ve officially celebrated our first holiday season in our Danish home-and what a way to kick things off. Our home was full of life, laughter, and love as we hosted 8 people (11 including the three of us) for Christmas and New Year’s. Our kids, our best friends, their kids—it was a full house, and it was absolutely amazing.

Christmas eve dinner together

Cold walks on the beach.

We cooked big meals, played games, lit candles, and filled every corner of the house with the kind of memories we moved here to make. Seeing our Danish home come to life like that—with (almost) all the people we love under one roof—was a beautiful reminder of why we took this leap.

So many card games!

Now, the house is quiet again—just the three of us—and we’re starting to reset.

We’ve been putting everything back in order, slowly restoring the rhythm of everyday life. At the same time, we’re shifting our focus to what’s next: designing and permitting the renovation of the annex.

It’s our next big project—transforming the 25m² outbuilding into a livable space for my dad—and we’re diving headfirst into the world of Danish building regulations, land zoning, and architectural planning. There’s a lot to learn (and translate), but it feels exciting to be at the start of a new design journey.

Simon and Dad working in the root cellar.

And as a little holiday treat to ourselves, we ordered a sauna kit—we can’t wait for it to show up and become part of our new wellness rituals here at home.

This past month has been full of joy and transition. From full rooms and shared meals to quiet mornings and spreadsheets, we’re reminded again and again: this life we’re building here is both the dream and the work.

We’ll keep you posted as we take the next steps with the annex, and continue shaping this place into something meaningful, functional, and uniquely ours.