Candles & Traditions: How Danes Bring Hygge Into December
Candles & Traditions: How Danes Celebrate Christmas with Hygge
In Denmark, December arrives slowly. Candles are lit, routines soften, and evenings stretch a little longer. The focus isn’t on perfection - it’s on presence. Hygge isn’t something added to the season; it’s woven straight through it.
Below are a few of the simple rituals that shape a Danish Christmas, bringing light into the darkest month of the year.
A season shaped by candlelight
In Denmark, the countdown to Christmas is less about rushing toward a single day and more about enjoying the rhythm of the weeks leading up to it. Candlelight plays a central role. It softens the darkness, marks time, and brings people together around small daily moments - breakfast, afternoon coffee, or a quiet evening at home.
Two candle traditions are especially loved: the calendar candle and the Advent candles. Both are simple, beautiful, and wonderfully grounding.
The calendar candle — counting the days in warm light
The Danish kalenderlys (calendar candle) is marked from 1 to 24. Each day in December, the candle is lit and allowed to burn down to the next number. It’s often placed on the breakfast table, where families sit together while the day slowly reveals itself.
There’s nothing elaborate about the ritual. That’s the point.
A bit of quiet. A flame. A sense of time moving gently forward.
Advent candles — four Sundays, four moments of pause
The Advent wreath (adventskrans) usually holds four candles - one for each Sunday before Christmas. Some wreaths are traditional evergreens; others are minimal ceramic rings or simple bowls filled with moss or branches. The design doesn’t matter as much as the moment it creates.
One candle is lit the first Sunday, then two the next, and so on. The growing light becomes a soft reminder to slow down, gather, and enjoy being together.
What hygge really means at Christmas
Hygge is often translated as “coziness,” but it’s really more about ease - about creating small pockets of warmth in daily life. In December, that might look like:
candles glowing in the windows
simple paper ornaments hung on branches
slow dinners with friends or family
choosing fewer things, but choosing them with care
Nothing needs to be perfect. It just needs to feel good to be in.
A gentle invitation
If these rituals speak to you, you don’t need to recreate a Danish Christmas exactly. Start with one small tradition - a candle you light each evening, or a wreath for the four Advent Sundays. Let it grow from there.
Hygge is less about decoration and more about how a space feels when you’re in it.
If you’d like to begin your own December ritual, you can explore our Danish calendar candles - made to burn slowly through the month and bring a little light to winter days.
