My December 2023: Christmas time at home with Minnie

Christmas is my favourite time of year, and this year was even more special because I got to spend it with Minnie and my family in Denmark!

Destinations visited in December 2023

Netherlands

• Amsterdam

Germany

• Flensburg

Denmark

• East Jutland (Hov, Odder, Hørning, Skals, Aarhus)

Daily life

At home in East Jutland

This month, my childhood home in East Jutland, Denmark, set the scene for my daily life. Minnie and I arrived in the evening of the 2nd after a loooong journey from Aberdeen (read below!). It was a true winter wonderland that we arrived to, and the following day it snowed all day. It was absolutely gorgeous!

Unfortunately, I had two essays to hand in before the 13th, so the first two weeks were incredibly busy. After that, I could relax a bit more although not too much as I still had a dissertation to finish!

When I wasn’t writing, I went on long walks with my mum, grandma and Minnie (mostly off-leash!) around my hometown and our beautiful countryside. I also went on a few local adventures with my younger brother who enjoys urban exploring just as much as I do! Unfortunately, the snow only stayed for a few days, and then the typical Danish winter weather showed up… rain, cloud coverage and wind. It was miserable for the rest of the month with the exception of a few sunny days in between.

When Christmas finally rolled around, I took three days off to enjoy it with my family. My older brother and his little family are spending Christmas and New Year’s in the States, so we went to their house to spend an early Christmas with them on the 19th. Minnie got to meet their dog, Maluh, for the first time, and we had lots of fun with my adorable niece and nephew. On the 24th, it was time for all the Danish Christmas traditions! It snowed a little the day before but it was washed away by rain the morning of the 24th and it continued raining the whole day. So I didn’t get my wish for a white Christmas, but I did get a family full of smiles and a wonderful selection of TS merch – and Minnie got lots of treats! The best part of the evening was when I gifted my younger brother and mum tickets for the Eras Tour in Vienna next year! My grandma is also coming along to look after Minnie, so it will be a nice little weekend away for us!

Two days after Christmas, we went up north to visit our family in Skals, an annual tradition that I always enjoy, and this year was extra special because Minnie got to come too! For New Year’s, I wanted to take it easy for Minnie’s sake as she is afraid of loud noises. We went to visit my brother in Aarhus for breakfast and a nice walk and then spent the rest of the day eating delicious food and watching all the obligatory speeches and TV shows in the evening before jumping off the sofas into the new year. Welcome 2024!

Travels and local adventures

The long journey home and a christmas market in Flensburg

Minnie and I sailed into December from Newcastle, arriving in Amsterdam in the morning of the 1st. We had the whole day in the city before our trains to Germany, but with two heavy backpacks, there was only so much I could handle. I tried to find us a canal cruise but all the ones where dogs are allowed don’t operate during the winter. So instead, we just roamed around a bit, spent a few hours in a café, roamed around some more during golden hour and then waited in the train station for the last few hours. It was a glorious day but very, very cold, and Minnie did not enjoy how busy the city is! Also, I never realized before that Amsterdam doesn’t have any parks near the city centre. That would’ve been a nice breathing place for Minnie, but nope.

At 7 PM, we boarded the first of six trains to Flensburg in northern Germany, where we arrived the following morning at 7.20 AM. We spent the next three hours hanging out in the little bistro at the train station, waiting for my parents and grandmother to arrive. Minnie finally got to meet them and of course it was love at first sight – for them. It took a while for Minnie to gain trust but now she absolutely loves them and always wags her tail like crazy when she sees them! We spent the next many hours roaming through the busy streets of Flensburg, which had recently had a fresh snowfall. It was absolutely perfect and like every year, the German Christmas markets are the best way to get in the Christmas spirit!

In the afternoon, we headed towards home and a few hours later, 2,5 days after we’d set off from Aberdeen, we finally arrived in my childhood home!

New on the blog

Most popular post

• Our Christmas trip home: Overland from Scotland to Denmark with a small dog – All about our long overland journey, my first overseas trip with Minnie!

The other posts

• My November 2023: Roaming around Aberdeen and beyond – Everything Minnie and I got up to in November!
• A day on Lismore: A small Scottish island packed with cultural heritage – A sunny February day on an underrated island in the Inner Hebrides!
• Two days on Fugloy: Exploring the easternmost fringe of the Faroe Islands – Fugloy quickly became on of my favourite islands in the Faroes – perhaps even the world!
• Holidays in Denmark: Merry Christmas from Minnie and I – A little holiday greeting from my baby and I!
• My travel year of 2023 – The first recap post of 2023!

Most popular Instagram picture

I didn’t post much in December but of the two pictures I did post, this one of Minnie and I in the snow got the most love!

Vis dette opslag på Instagram

Et opslag delt af Mel (@north.trotter)

Coming up in January 2024

The first eleven days of the year are spent right here in Denmark with more dissertation writing.

On the 11th, Minnie and I will begin our long journey back to Aberdeen, stopping in Kiel on the way to see my friends there. I’m excited for the journey, and excited to return to Aberdeen to see my friends again! I’m handing in my dissertation on the 22nd, so once that is done, I’ll have plenty of time to explore the city and beyond!