An interview with the KGLTeater.
With whom are you spending Christmas with this year?
This year I’ll be spending Christmas with my husband’s family. I’m very grateful to have a Danish family to go home too over the Holidays. I remember my first years in the company when I used to spend Christmas alone waiting for my family to wake up in America to have someone to talk too. It’s a six hour time change… which can feel like a really long time. haha
Do you have any plans for the holiday?
We plan to get a Christmas tree this year! I’m super excited about that. Usually we skip the tree in our own apartment because my husband and I are kept busy throughout December working at the theater where the best Christmas tree in town is; on stage in our wonderful production of, The Nutcracker. That tree is the most magical tree. It’s hard to beat. But this year, 2020… I thought that we needed some extra joy in any and every way that we can.
I’m very curious to see how my mischievous cat will like the tree. Oh and you bet I’ll make her dress up and take Christmas photos of her with the tree. 🙂 I’ll be sure to flood my Instagram, @hollydorger with my fluffball.
You are originally from America but now live in Denmark married to a Dane. How do you spend Christmas and have you merged some of your Christmas traditions?
When my husband and I are in Denmark for the holidays (which has been every year except one year) we celebrate the Danish way. We gather for a lovely dinner on the 24th, (which I still consider Christmas Eve not Christmas) we eat all the traditionals foods, (I always go for the duck but my husband goes for the flæskesteg. He has even broken a tooth eating it before but nothing will prevent him from getting his flæskesteg! A true Viking.), we light the tree with REAL candles (as beautiful as it is, all I can think is FIRE HAZARD) then we sing around the X-mas tree (his family always makes sure to add at least one American song so I can sing along with them), we have the ris a la mande dessert (my serving is always more the cherry sauce with a side of ris a la mande) and then we open presents. The Danish Christmas traditions are beautiful and fun to be a part of.
Only once in the past 14 years have we been able to go to my family in the USA for Christmas. I was super excited to introduce my Danish husband to all of the American traditions, which are a little more childlike in comparison to the Danish traditions. On the 24th we all have a nice dinner together in a similar style to the Danish tradition. Instead of flæskesteg though we will have a turkey or ham or both. Then on the 25th (REAL Christmas Day 😉 ) we wake up and while we are all still in our pajamas we open our stockings which are exploding with chocolates, and little odds and ends. Probably my favorite moment of the day is when you get that first glimpse of the tree suddenly surrounded by presents that Santa brought in the night! As the family slowly awakens we all meet around the coffee machine as pancakes are being whipped up. You can always count on my Dad making wayyyy too much bacon but no matter what it all disappears. You’ll find me busy adding chocolate chips to my pancakes and adding a ridiculous but fabulous flavored creamer to my coffee. Like Gingerbread Spice of White Chocolate candy-cane!
Then still in our pj’s we all go sit by the tree, light up the fireplace and slowly open all the presents one at a time. Once everything is opened, if anyone received clothes then they are expected to put them on and give everyone a fashion show. 🙂
Do you have one or more Christmas traditions that you have to do or have every year?
Not sooo much anymore. We used to always leave out Christmas cookies and milk for Santa Claus and carrots for all of his reindeer but that has been a little while. 😉
What is your favorite Christmas memory?
My favorite Christmas memory took place when I was much younger and still living in Michigan with my family. It was Christmas Eve but unfortunately there wasn’t any snow on the ground. I was really hoping for a White Christmas so we could go sledding, build snowmen and so I could aim a snowball at my brother. 😉 We all went to bed with the excitement of knowing that Christmas and Santa would be coming in the night. The next morning I was the first to wake up and I woke up to the most magical sight. It must have snowed all night long. Almost two feet of untouched snow was the scene from my bedroom window making everything look like the inside of a snowglobe. When I opened the front door to look at the snow… there was a piece of red cloth stuck in the doorway and scraps from carrots on the ground. I was so excited!
Do you have a favorite Christmas Carol?
Deck the Halls with Bows of HOLLY. haha my brother used to sing, “Deck the halls with my sister…” in that annoying but he’s your big brother kind of way. So in our house, it’s a classic.
My real favorite Christmas song though is Silver Bells. It really captures that atmosphere in the city during Christmas time in the most lovely way.
I love singing along to Marshmallow World and Baby, it’s Cold Outside. My dad used to always put on the Ratpack’s Christmas Album, so to this day I still believe it’s the best Christmas album there is. It’s on repeat all the time.
What is the best Christmas present you have ever gotten?
If you can count a Christmas present that you give yourself… haha then my little baby, fluff muffin, Ragdoll kitten was the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. We adopted her in the middle of the Nutcracker run and I spent every second that I wasn’t on stage with her. In truth she loves my husband slightly more, you can always catch her snuggling up to him. Yes, it’s slightly disappointing for me (haha). I do pick her up more often which isn’t her favorite thing but she loves me anyways. And I love her so much. 🙂 She was the best, best, BEST addition to our little family.
What is your favorite Christmas story?
The 1994 version of the film, Miracle on 31st Street. It really puts the magic into Christmas and is a great reminder to always believe in the good.
My other favorite is the 1954 classic, White Christmas. I just love a good musical. If I had lived in the 50’s my biggest dream would have been to be an actress in musicals like, White Christmas. They danced, they sang, they acted, and they were fabulous.
What do you want for Christmas this year?
A cure with no side effects to Covid 19 for the world. I want all dancers all around the world to be able to dance again in their studios, to be able to perform to packed houses, and to be able to partner and put on a show together. That would be my biggest wish.
