A Little Cosy Scandinavian Christmas Inspiration

Tjena! I hope you had a cosy weekend and a happy first Sunday of Advent. In Scandinavia, that’s officially when the home gets its first layer of Christmas decorations – stars and adventsljusstake (candelabras) appear in the windows, lighting up the dark streets and bathing them in a welcoming glow. It’s a magical time of year to be here.

Today I wanted to share a little of the Scandinavian festive spirit with you through some beautiful, cosy, Christmas-ready images I’ve been squirrelling away on Instagram. This year I’ve noticed red creeping back in, alongside plenty of nostalgia — think vintage finds and ornaments collected over time or passed down through generations. I hope you enjoy the inspiration and the journey to Scandinavia in wintertime.

I love how the tree is bursting with an array of ornaments, flags, garlands — anything goes! It reminds me of the tree we had growing up in my parents’ house. My sisters and I were always in charge of the decorations; boxes and boxes of ornaments would be brought down from the loft and, just as we thought we’d finished (after a good few hours!), the weight of the reindeer, chocolates, drums and tiny children sledging would be weighing down the branches, with not a space left for one more. And my mother would come in and say, “That’s not finished — there’s hardly anything on it!”

I felt all the other images also perfectly capture this time of year. I love the Norwegian sauna in the fjords at the end. On the 23rd of December, a sauna is booked for the entire extended family so we can dust off the cobwebs, shake off work, and prepare for the holidays feeling relaxed, revived and rosey cheeked (and that's before the 'glögg'! 

Did any of the images catch your eye?

And if you have a tree, how do you like to decorate it?

For a couple of Christmassy home tours today, take a peek inside: 

Anna Truelsen's festive Swedish home
DIY touches in a Swedish maker's home at Christmas
Maria's rustic Christmas home with rustic DIY touches

Happy 1st December!

Niki

PS did you spot the little kitty? 

Photography credits: 1. Cato Ravatsbakk 2. @vartlillagrona 3. @myhappydays 3. @elinmeadowss 4. @hjarterumdeisgnointerior 5. @hannesmauritzson 6. @fjordfiskerenhjem 7. @vartlillagrona 8. @breakfastlondon.