Next year’s budget to get approval, winter tyre rules likely to apply, ‘julehygge’ and a full three days off around Christmas Day. Here are some things to look out for in Denmark this December.
Budget to be voted through
Parliament is set to vote through the government’s budget for 2026 in December, in line with the usual schedule under which the country adopts its annual finance acts.
A deal has already been made between the coalition government and the Conservative party to pass the budget, ensuring it a comfortable majority in parliament.
Measures in next year’s budget include reduced fees at kindergartens and nurseries by reducing the maximum cap on parental contributions for a nursery or kindergarten place from 25 percent to 21.3 percent. The remainder of the cos is covered by municipalities.
Fees charged to a number of food producers, amounting to 50 million kroner a year, will be removed, giving a saving the government says will be passed on to consumers.
READ ALSO: What Denmark’s 2026 budget means for you
Winter tyre rules in force
This is not a new change in December, because it came into effect earlier in the year, but with the arrival of snow and very cold conditions comes a higher likelihood of seeing it enforced.
New rules on winter tyres state that, although it’s not a legal requirement to change to winter tyres by a certain date, you can now be fined if you have unsuitable tyres on your car for the prevailing conditions.
This means that, for instance, using summer tyres in heavy snow and ice can result in a fine of 1,000 kroner per tyre for tyres unsuitable for the weather conditions.
Previously, you were not legally required to use graded winter tyres during the winter in Denmark. According to motorists’ organisation FDM, some 400,000 motorists kept summer tyres on their cars throughout the winter in previous years.
READ ALSO: What are Denmark’s new rules on winter tyres and when should you change?
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When do I get time off work or school for Christmas?
December 25th (Christmas), December 26th (Boxing Day) and January 1st (New Year’s Day) are all public holidays in Denmark and this year they all fall on weekdays, meaning people get their full quota of official days off (unlike in 2022 when two of the festive three fell on a weekend).
December 24th (Christmas Eve) and December 31st (New Year’s Eve) are not public holidays, but many employers treat them as such and this year they fall on weekdays as well.
This means you potentially can get 12 consecutive days off work, including weekends, by only using up three days of your annual allowance (December 29th and 30th and January 2nd).
State schools (folkeskoler) generally finish for the Christmas holidays on Tuesday December 22nd and return on Monday January 5th.
Private schools may have slightly different dates and there may also be local variations for state schools, so check with your school or local municipality if in doubt. Here are the calendars for Copenhagen and Aarhus municipalities.
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Christmas celebrations
The Christmas season officially starts on the first Sunday in Advent, which falls on November 30th this year and the Christmas tree in Copenhagen’s Rådhuspladsen square will be lit on that day, which is always a big event. Be there between 4pm-5pm to see it for yourself.
On each Sunday in advent, families traditionally get together, perhaps with a friend or two, for adventshygge, where they carry out crafts projects, such as weaving julehjerter, or Christmas hearts, or making a peberkagehus, or gingerbread house, while gobbling down æbleskiver and other delicious treats.
They might decorate the advenstlysestage – the holder for the four advent candles — with moss and other greenery.
You don’t need to wait until Sunday, as you can do these things on any day of the week, when it’s just called Julehygge.
Children will also start opening their pakkekalender, a Danish version of an advent calendar, that traditionally involves 24 individually wrapped gifts, from December 1st.
At home, Danes will be hosting parties where gløgg, punch and cinnamon brunkager are consumed, while at work, you can expect office Christmas parties, either held in the office or at a restaurant, to kick off from the first week of December.
Many of Denmark’s Christmas Markets (julemarkeder) are already open, (see map here) with some like Copenhagen’s Tivoli going until the beginning of January.
READ MORE: Ten of Denmark’s best and most-loved Christmas markets
Brighter days are (eventually) on the way
It’s now dark well into the morning and only light until mid-afternoon, but the shortest day of the year falls in December. After that, days will slowly get longer again and nights shorter.
The winter solstice, when the Earth tilts the furthest away from the Sun on its axis, occurs on December 21st.
Denmark’s dark winters aren’t as severe as in Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Norway, which both experience polar nights – when the sun doesn’t rise at all for several weeks.