Traditional

Denmark is a great place to be. While that comment is entirely subjective, chances are, by the end of the post you'll agree (if you don't already; after all, when is the last time someone told you stay out of Denmark (likely centuries ago when that certain something was rotten)). At exactly 8:59pm on the first Friday of November every year since 1980 Tuborg Brewery lets loose its seasonal (i.e., Christmas) blend, Julebryg (Jule'be'drunk is the nearest North American translation).

 

While most happy-go-lucky revelers and/or seasonally seasoned celebrators would find this Danish novelty pleasing enough, it does get better. Tuborg is so behind its own festivities that it goes so far as to dispatch its own gang of blue-clad Tuborg elves who visit some 450 locations throughout the country, where they proceed to merrily distribute two or three cases of free beer to each, which ends up being about 25,000 bottles, plus a delightful gamut of blue-themed swag. Thus, "J-Day" is christened, marking the limited holiday season.

The brew itself is said to have hints of licorice and black currant, so it's dark, and it's strong at 5.6% alcohol (apples to apples: Heineken is 5.0%; apples to oranges: Budeweiser is 4.1%). Because of the combination of potency, early inaugural drinking commencement time and general glee and excitement, the bars admit that it's not their highest volume night, nor is it a cheery next morning for all. With a loosely enforced legal drinking age of 18, when the celebration was formerly held on a non-Friday weekday, students were notably un-notable the following day.

The J-Day tradition is so solid that the annual commercial hasn't changed for 30 years, and other countries (like Slovenia) are attempting to adopt the tradition themselves. All in all, cheers to the merry Dutch!

Life sometimes can be traditional.

Traditional: --adj.
 conventional, customary, established