Nowhere in Denmark will you find gaudy baubles, tacky tinsel or lurid-coloured light bulbs on fake trees, writes Niamh Hooper, after a weekend visit to the capital of artful restraint
Does anyone do Christmas better? The Danes are famous for their candle-lit trees and handcrafted decorations in red, white, green and gold, and one of the most sparkling, pedestrianised shopping streets in the world has to be Stroget. Just a glance at the magnificently decorated tables in the Royal Copenhagen shop will convince you of their design savvy, and garlands and shop windows throughout the city are so classically stunning, you will be instantly captivated. And that's before you succumb to the temptation of glogg - a deliciously spicy mulled wine served steaming hot with raisins and almonds that have been steeped in Danish snaps for eight days.
First, the tables. Since the 1960s, tradition has it that a selection of seven artists and designers are invited to set tables using the entire inventory of Royal Copenhagen's hand-painted china, glassware and cutlery. The themes vary from the fantastical, including a table set in an imaginary wood, at which visitors might be surprised by a sudden blizzard, to a table where guests are invited to sit on brass tubas fashioned into seats.
"The idea of the tables is to inspire people to be creative themselves when setting their own Christmas tables at home and to use their porcelain in different ways," manager Anne Sophie told us. "When you look at each table, it may looks like you might not be able to reproduce it - it was created to surprise and delight you and to be very different. But then, if you look closely at the elements of the whole picture, you can take home some of the ideas that appeal to you and make changes to your own table."
Inspired by memories of skating on Gentofte Lake as a child, Jeffe Frölich's table had white princesses skating and doing pirouettes on a glittering icerink surrounded by intertwined twigs, fresh greenery and candles. Although not exactly practical for eating alongside, it would be perfect for a serving table.
Most impressive of all was Violise Lunn's table dressed with the Flora Danica service, Royal Copenhagen's grandest line of porcelain, owned by the likes of Elton John and Oprah Winfrey (an icecream server alone costs €24,000). White vases at the centre of the table hold beautiful twisted branches decorated with paper hearts and cornets, while two paper angels keep watch over the celebrations from the chandelier. Very festive.
Nowhere in Denmark will you find gaudy baubles, tacky tinsel or lurid-coloured light bulbs on fake trees. The Danish sense of style is all about rustic simplicity. There are no plastic santas to be seen anywhere - cherubic porcelain figurines descend instead, and what they can do with paper is nothing short of dazzling: trees everywhere have paper baskets with sweets tucked away in them, or seasonal greetings.
It's a great city to visit at this time of year. New York may be attracting shoppers by the thousands, but we came home laden with fantastic treasure from the world-famous Christmas market in the Tivoli Gardens, festooned with more than 70 chalets selling gifts, crafts and foodstuffs. Children will adore the 21-acre amusement park and gardens, which date back to 1843.
When the shopping gets too much, one of Copenhagen's most delightful restaurants is berthed on a lake inside the gardens. The St George III is a miniature replica of a ship that was built in the 1740s and is decked out with undersize canons, sails, polished brass and military regalia. They do a mean parsnip soup among other traditional fare and do be sure to try the rice pudding with almonds, vanilla cream and hot cherry sauce. Set lunches cost €22-€42, while a main course in the evening ranges from about €25-€37.
It's also great to take a day trip to Sweden. Thanks to the opening of the Oresund Bridge, gone are the days of hovercrafts crossing the sound and getting stuck when it freezes over. Today the high-speed trains whizz along the snazzy 15km bridge, which is comprised of a two-way railway track beneath a four-lane road connecting the Danish capital and Malmo in just over half an hour. Trains run every 20 minutes and it costs about €10 for a return ticket.
Malmo has its own Advent market at this time of year as well as the famous Design Forum with the latest in Scandinavian home design. It's also worth visiting Bo01, the new ecological district of 600 sustainable homes, offices, shops and services.
Scandinavian Airlines fly from Dublin to Copenhagen twice daily; trains deliver you to Copenhagen from the airport in 12 minutes. See www.flysas.ie. D'Angleterre Hotel overlooking King's Square is 250 years old and Denmark's most luxurious. View all of the tables shown here at www.royalcopenhagen.com/ Seasonal.aspx