Christmas lunches with work colleagues in Denmark

Danes make a strong separation between their private and professional lives. Of all the expats and Danes I have spoken to, very few have had social relationships with their Danish colleagues outside work. This means thatmost social interaction between colleagues happens at work, and participatingin these activities is therefore extremely important.

Christmas lunches are very important event for Danes. They usually take place during the month before Christmas, and can be in many combinations: with fellow-members from associations, with friends and with work-colleagues. For many Danish workplaces, this is probably the only occasion where colleagues go out together. Restaurants are hopelessly booked out at this time of year!

Christmas lunches with colleagues are special occasions, and you will get to know them in a way that you never have before and probably never will again (until the following Christmas, of course!). There will be good food, possibly dancing, a lot of socialising and many, many drinks... You may even see your bosses dance on the table. 

But the day after things will be back to normal and you'll have to wait for another year until you can experience the same again.

Read more about Christmas lunches and other social occasions when working with Danes in the book
Business-Dances with Danes. Decoding Danish workplace culture.

Find out more about other Danish Christmas traditions.