Danish Brotherhood Lodge #15 – CDM 2026 Nonprofit Tree Silent Auction Participant

Danish Brotherhood Lodge #15’s tree theme is: Celebrating Danish Christmas Plates

This year the Danish Brotherhood decided to honor the Danish Christmas plates in using blue and white colors in the decorations. We used blue mini-Danish plates and papirklip (paper cutting) using blue and white paper for the ornaments. Blue and white lights are also used to brighten and accent the tree.

The plates mythology traces back to the Middle Ages when nobles are said to have gifted their servants’ unique platters of fruit and cookies during the annual Yule celebrations. More recently, the history of the blue and white plates begins in 1888 when Crown Princess Louise of Denmark visited the 1888 Nordic Industrial, Agricultural and Arts Exhibition in Copenhagen. This was a massive event with over 1 million people gathered in and around Tivoli Gardens.

The plates originally weren’t intended to be anything more than decorative, but when Princess Louise requested to purchase one as a keepsake, attendees scrambled to claim their own until every plate was claimed. Collecting these ornate and unique plates has been a Danish and Danish American tradition ever since. Some families stuck with one factory line, others mixed both together depending on which image they preferred year after year.

Bing & Grøndahl and Royal Copenhagen, produce a new design every year. And in keeping with tradition, the mold is broken after production, ensuring they can never be copied.
The plates are cherished by thousands of people around the world. While many still look forward to the debut of a new plate every year, others only collect for years of special significance, such as a wedding date or the birth of a new family member.

Why did our organization choose to participate in the CDM Nonprofit Tree Silent Auction?

• Danish Brotherhood believes it is important to let everyone know that there are active Danish heritage groups available in the Des Moines metropolitan area. We love sharing our traditions especially at Christmas as in Denmark this dark time of year is brightened by Christmas trees. Danish Brotherhood Lodge #15 wishes to support other non profits as well as the area by providing a tree to share at Christkindlmarket.

How will the CDM Nonprofit Tree Silent Auction funds benefit our organization?

• Lodge #15 is a philanthropic group. The profit from our tree will be added to our non-profit donation fund which is mostly funded by our two Æbleskiver Brunches. This fund regularly contributes to food drives, veterans organizations, Miracle League Baseball as well as Danish groups

Check out Danish Brotherhood Lodge #15’s tree at Christkindlmarket Des Moines December 3^rd – December 6^th, 2026!