I'm so excited to watch Christmas calendars this year
Do you have any favorites or recommendations? 😊💖
Oh God, so many– *Goes off.*
I've always been a huge sucker for Christmas stuff, and every year, I watch 2-4 Christmas calendars – ones I haven't watched before, mostly. I've watched a few Swedish and Norwegian ones, but mostly Danish ones, so those are the ones I'll focus on (my Swedish mutual recommended some Swedish ones here).
First of all, I have to recommend Pyrus. It's a four season Christmas calendar about the nisser living in the Danish National Archives. Pyrus is a young nisse who's learning to be an archive nisse, and the humans working at the archive are also always up to something. It's not only fun, but also very educational – it was the show that taught me about Santa Claus' origins, for example. Seasons 1-3 are best (2 is the bestest of the best). Season 1 is called Alletiders Jul, season 2 is Alletiders Nisse, season 3 is Alletiders Julemand, and season 4 is Alletiders Eventyr. There's a movie too, but it's not worth watching. There's a lot of songs, and they're really good. Some of the special effects look dated, but it was very new when they were made. You need a subscription to TV2 to watch whichever one they choose to stream this year (it's season 1 this year), or a dvd set, though, so it's a little difficult to watch it.
Second one I'll recommend isn't really one I love that much, but it's iconic. Everyone quotes it in Denmark. The Julekalender (yes, that's the name) is about three nisser looking for the key to the spilledåse to save Gammel Nok. It's satirical and more for adults, and all roles are played by De Nattergale, a Danish band. The nisse characters speak a mix of English and Danish, and the humans mostly speak in a West Jutland dialect. It's another TV2 production, but it has been available every year for streaming around Christmas since 2017, because it's such a classic.
This next one is controversial, but I really liked it. Den Anden Verden from 2016 isn't the most Christmas, but the sets and costuming is amazing. It's about a pair of sisters, where one discovers that she can go to a fairy tale world when she is on the edge of death. Huge tw for suicide attempts/suicidal ideations. I love it for the bond between the sisters and the fairy tales they tell, but I know a lot of people thought it was too adult and didn't have enough Christmas in it. It's the first DR production, so as long as you're on a VPN for Denmark, you can stream it on dr.dk.
Okay, final two, even though I'm sure you're already overwhelmed.
Julestjerner, which marks the end of the musical Christmas calendars, is about a family moving out of the big city, where they end up putting up a Christmas show. There's also nisser, but they're not from where you think. The characters in it are a bit exaggerated, but it's very nice. And it has the best cello solo ever. This one is also on DR.
I'm a sucker for a period piece, and that's why I must recommend last year's Julehjertets Hemmelighed. It takes place in the 1800s, and is about Karen who is turning 13, which means she will no longer be able to see her best friend, the nisse Rumle. They perform a ritual, but then everything at the farm she works at starts going wrong. It's a good mix of Christmas and some darker elements for older viewers. Another DR production.
Honorable mentions: Jesus og Josefine, Jul i Valhal, Nissebanden (3 seasons), Tinka (3 seasons), Bamses julerejse, Yallahrup Færgeby, Torvet, and Jul i Gammelby (this one I'm going to watch for the first time this year). Honorable Swedish mention: Storm på lugna gatan (Danish title: Storm på Stillevænget). Honorable Norwegian mention: Snøfall (Danish title: Snefald).
There's also the ones for 2023, but I will stop now.
