Celebrating a Scandinavian Style Christmas

I don’t know if it’s because I was born and raised in a Swedish town, but I love Scandinavian homes and decor. To my knowledge, I don’t have any Swedish blood in my body. I’m mostly Hungarian, English, and Scottish. I know – a weird combination. But anyway, I thought it would be fun to feature elements of a Scandinavian Style Christmas.

Red Finnish House and Barn in the Snow

 

Scandinavia is a region that includes the countries of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The Nordic region also includes Finland, Iceland, and their connected territories.

Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a quality of coziness that conjures a feeling of contentment. These Scandinavian style living rooms decorated for the holidays fully embrace the feeling of hygge.

Scandinavian Style Christmas in a Hygge Living Room

 

Christmas fireplace with socks and decorations

 

Scandinavian Style Christmas Decorations

 

A beautiful bedroom decorated for Christmas also display wonderful hygge style. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up in the morning under knitted blankets with a view of your Christmas tree by the window? You could watch the snow gently fall while hubby happily serves you a nice warm latte on a Saturday morning.

Frosty Christmas tree in a hygge style bedroom

 

Scandinavian design is typically marked by a focus on clean lines and minimalism without sacrificing beauty.

Scandinavian Style Christmas Decorations in a White Kitchen

 

More Christmas simplicity in a Scandinavian style kitchen.

Scandinavian Kitchen Decorated for Christmas

 

Note the simplicity of soft evergreen branches tucked in a basket with cute globe-style lights.

Small Christmas tree in basket with globe lights

 

A sweet little wooden Nordic house serves as a charming decoration, whether it hangs from the tree or adorns a holiday mantel.

Swedish House Lantern at Christmastime

 

Scandinavian style Christmas wrapping also leans toward simple lines and natural beauty. Brown craft paper and strands of twine become so pretty with a sprig of greenery.

Nordic style Christmas gift wrapping

 

You know, just yesterday I found star anise in my spice drawer and wondered what I could do with it. Now I know! I can hot glue them to twine or ribbons on Christmas packages.

Simple Christmas Gift Wrapping with brown craft paper

 

How about gingerbread houses in a European design?

Gingerbread houses in Nordic design

 

On the topic of baked goods, include traditional Swedish St. Lucia Saffron Buns at your Christmas dinner for a little bit of international flair. I even found a saffron bun recipe with a 5-star rating.

Traditional Swedish St. Lucia Saffron Buns

 

I’m for sure making this Norwegian Christmas Almond Cake recipe! Doesn’t it look just dreamy? Maybe I’ll serve this on Christmas Eve, although I want to eat it now. I’ll bet it tastes good at breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Traditional Christmas (Norwegian) almond cake in Christmas decorations

 

A red church in a snowy landscape is a perfect scene for dreaming of spending Christmas in a Scandinavian country. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?

Red Scandinavian Building with New Fallen Snow

 

Some of my favorite blogs are Scandinavian. Here’s just a few that you might enjoy:

My Scandinavian Home (I feature some of her posts on Friday Finds)

Anna Truelsen

The Nord Room

Vibeke Design

 

 

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19 Comments

  1. I love that you featured the Scandinavian Christmas. The simplicity is very beautiful, I think more so than other themes. My family comes from Germany and I love seeing the older, more basic decor.

  2. This is a wonderful post. Very HYGGE. You not only bring us wonderful tours, but always teach us something as well. Thank you, Jennifer.

  3. I enjoyed all of the Scandinavian home. The pastries would have been great to enjoy with my AM coffee. Thanks for the beautiful snowy morning.

  4. I love the simplicity of Scandinavian style as well. Very calming. I just mixed up my gingerbread cookie dough to make houses, snowflakes etc. to bake and decorate tomorrow. The smell of the gingerbread cookies takes me back to my childhood flooding my head with wonderful memories.

  5. I love Scandinavian style also, it simple and yet so pretty and my dad’s family was from that part of the world. Thanks for this tour.

  6. I am Swedish and would love to visit Sweden. I love the Scandinavian style. I really enjoyed this post. Once when my younger son was young, I dressed up as Santa Lucia for his class’s Festival of Lights celebration. My husband made my crown (with wood and it was heavy and hard to balance lol!) candles (unlit) and all. Such fun.

  7. Hi Jennifer. Merry Christmas.
    We used to live in Central Massachusetts and there were a lot of Nordic people that lived there, apparently they immigrated and were drawn to that part of the state because it’s a little more hilly. And there were a lot of cross country skiers in the area too, with hot tubs or saunas. We also had a Scandinavian bakery in town, and it was the first time I ever had their food. Their almond muffins were so good, like a mini version of that cake. They had all sorts of ornaments, books, and unusual crafts in the bakery store area…and they sold trees and wreaths at Christmastime. It was a little piece of Heaven. I hope you enjoy the cake. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the post.

    Christine
    New Hampshire

    1. Merry Christmas, Christine! That town sounds wonderful!! I always wondered why the Swedes settled in what’s now Geneva, Illinois. No hills or mountains here, although a river does run through the town. Do you remember the name of that town in Massachusetts?

    2. Jennifer, Loved your Scandinavian Christmas photos. Just beautiful. Our family has always celebrated our Swedish heritage with St Lucia day saffron buns served by the eldest daughter and the baking of Cardamon Braided bread baked on Christmas eve afternoon and served Christmas morning. We also have several Dala horses with one actually bought in Sweden that decorate our mantle along with some Swedish,elves and lots of white candles and fresh greens. Have,a wonderful Christmas.

      1. Hi Kathy!  I think I would love Christmas at your house. I love that you bake every Christmas Eve and I’ve always loved Dala horses. How nice that you got one directly from Sweden! It all sounds so picturesque!

  8. Hi, Jennifer! Greetings from Hungary! I was happy to read about your Hungarian roots. I hardly wait for your newsletters with the latest article. This Scandinavian one was specially close to me since I used to work in Stockholm for a year. I enjoyed the simple beauty of the natural stuffs they use in decoration. Beyond that they always give us excellent examples showing that functionality and beauty are close – knit.

  9. Jennifer, these pictures are so pretty! I am so glad I took time out of my busy morning to look at them. I love the natural beauty used in decorating for Christmas. I have a neighbor who lives on a tree farm across the road and she brings me lots of fresh trimmings off of her trees at Christmas. I have a great time decorating with them!