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Our Swedish Christmas - From Per's Perspective!











How do you celebrate Christmas? Since moving to Sweden (16 years ago - how crazy is that?!) - we usually have two celebrations - one in Sweden on 23rd and one in England on 25th. But this year, the entire English clan is coming to Sweden, so Per and the girls finally get to watch Kalle Anke (Donald Duck) at 3pm on Christmas Eve (a very Swedish tradition!). For my final post of the year with partner Skandinavisk - who tell the story of the Scandinavian Christmas / Winter through a collection of heavenly fragrances (discount at end of post!) - I thought I'd interview my husband Per about his thoughts on Swedish Christmas, and some of the traditions he loves the most!



When does Christmas begin for you?
The First Sunday of Advent - this is when we traditionally jular fram - start to put up Christmas decorations, play Christmas music etc.

What do you love most about this time of year? 
It gets very cold and dark as we near the winter solstice and Swedes tend to gravitate indoors. Christmas gives us a perfect excuse to hang out with friends over a glögg (spiced mulled wine) and pepparkaka (gingersnaps)!

What are your favourite family traditions? 
Every year we head out to the woods to chop down our tree. When I was at school, parents would organise a class trip and we'd all go out together and make a big event out of it. These days I love to continue this tradition with my family. In Sweden we're known for being fairly calm and democratic - but when we choose a tree, we can become pretty feisty! There are a lot of strong opinions about how a Christmas tree should look!




How do you decorate your home for Christmas?
I'm married to an interior-crazy woman so I don't get too much of a say these days (Editor's note: he so does) - but there are a few things that are important to me. I like to put traditional 7-arm candelabras and paper stars in the window. I also like the Christmas decorations to be cosy but not over the top - us Swedes don't tend to go all-in - for example, you rarely see colourful flashing Christmas tree lights or a Father Christmas and his sleigh on the roof!

What fragrances do you associate with Christmas?
The fresh scent of pine, orange, cloves, smoke from a crackling log fire, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom all remind me of Christmas. 

JUL (Christmas) scented candle with bold notes of baked gingerbread, melted honey, cloves and warm glögg. 

Where do you spend Christmas? 
We celebrate Christmas on Julafton (Christmas Eve) in Sweden. We have a big family gathering at my Father's house, which is in a fishing village further up the coast. Around midday, we all meet at a 'kalbadhus' (sauna pier) by the sea. The sauna is a great way to kick off the Christmas Eve celebrations as there's something really cleansing about heating up in a sauna and hopping in the cold sea - it really raises your spirits! We usually enjoy a few Christmas beers in the sauna too - just for good measure! 

The TRÆ (tree) scented candle is a wonderful reflection of the bright, fresh scent of the forest! 



How do you celebrate Christmas Eve?
When we arrive at my Father's, candlelit lanterns line the snowy pathway up to the door and a nice, warm mug of homemade glögg (spiced mulled wine) with almond and raisins awaits! At 3pm we all settle down to watch the 1958 Walt Disney film, From All of Us To All of You, affectionately referred to as Kalle Anke (Donald Duck) - even though we all know it off by heart! And then we tuck into a traditional Julbord (Christmas smorgasbord).

SNÖ (snow) scented candle with a fresh, crisp and icily dry scent infused with a hint of winter berries and frozen timber wood. 





Ah yes, the julbord! Can you tell us a little more about what this involves? 
It's a smorgasbord made up of different types of meat, fish and vegetable dishes. The fish part is my favourite - it includes different types of pickled herring (marinated by my stepmother), an assortment of salmon (warm smoked, cold smoked, gravlax etc.) prawns, and other delicacies! Our julbord also includes the traditional ham, sausages, green and brown cabbage, Jansson's Temptation (a potato dish with anchovies), meatballs and many, many other things! We all bring something with us so that no one is burdened with doing everything (we all have our own specialities - I'm on meatball duty!).

We accompany the julbord with Christmas beer (for the adults) and Julmust (for the kids - basically an adapted Christmas Coca-Cola). We also enjoy my Father's home-flavoured wormwood schnapps along with Christmas songs! In Sweden, we don't drink wine with the julbord but I've noticed my wife always sneaks in a glass or two!



When do you exchange presents?
In our family we only give presents to the children. They all stand at the window waiting for Tomten (Father Christmas) who appears in the garden with a lantern and a sack over his shoulder. It's met with squeals of delight and the children race to the door to greet him - it's such a wonderful sight! He asks "finns där några snälla barn?" (are there any good children here?). Unfortunately, I always tend to miss this moment as I've 'popped out' for an untimely errand ;).

What do you miss most when you spend Christmas in London? 
I take a lot of the traditions with me in my suitcase - including some of the julbord specialities and song sheets, so I can feel at home! I love the crackers (we don't have them in Sweden) the stockings are also fun, but I do think it's a shame that the rest of the world don't get to meet Tomten!

When do you take Christmas decorations down in Sweden?
We have a saying: tjugondag Knut dansas julen ut (on the twentieth day Knut, Christmas dances out). In other words, all our Christmas decorations are taken down on 13th January. This always stresses my wife as it's said to be unlucky to leave decorations up after Twelfth night (6th January!) in England!




Thank you PP! You've got me dreaming about Christmas Eve now - and that glass of wine with my julbord ;). In the meantime, we've got some Christmas shopping to do (I noticed that was included in your favourite traditions!). 

Speaking of which - if you feel like giving someone the gift of a home filled with the heavenly scent of the Scandinavian Christmas / winter, Skandinavisk are offering My Scandinavian Home readers 20% off the JUL (Christmas) scented candle and mini scented candle, TRÆ (tree) scented candle and mini scented candle, SNÖ (snow) scented candle and mini scented candle, NORDLYS (Aurora Borealis) scented candle and mini scented candle, ÖNSKA special edition giftset and the NORDEN mini giftset! To claim your 20% discount type in nikijul20 at checkout (note the small caps!) - valid until 16th December, 2019. Find out which countries they ship to here

I hope you enjoyed hearing Per tell a little more about our Swedish family Christmas - is there anything that stood out to you? Do you have any similarities in your country? I'd love to hear more about how you celebrate Christmas (or the holidays in general!). 

Have a cosy weekend friends!

Niki

PS I'll be back on Monday with a magical danish home decorated for Christmas - oh, and it involves a little colour too! Make sure you pop back! 

This was part of a paid partnership with Skandinavisk. All words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands that I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

Photos by me. Interior pictures of my home styled by Helen Sturesson.

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'Jul' Touches In My Home (Thanks to The Beautiful Georg Jensen Christmas Collectibles!)




Have you started decorating for Christmas (if you celebrate, of course!)? At home it has started to feel a lot like 'Jul' thanks to the beautiful Christmas Collectibles from Georg Jensen. I've always been curious about Georg Jensen since the iconic Danish brand has played a pioneering role in Scandinavian design for over 100 years - that's a century of timeless jewellery, home decor, silver and accessories! And then I discovered the annual Christmas collection - created in collaboration with a handpicked designer. This year, designer Sanne Lund Traberg worked together with Georg Jensen to create the 2019 Christmas Collectables which are based on classic yuletide symbols of love, togetherness and tradition: hearts, stars and trees all plated in gold and palladium. I was so excited to be given the opportunity to play around with pieces from the collection in my own home, and I can safely say, they are even more beautiful in real life!



As you know, I'm never one to shy away from candles - especially at Christmas! And this isn't the first time I've put real candles on my tree (remember this one?!). I have to say, it's always equally nerve-racking! The Danes, of course, have this down. My Danish neighbour advised me (I thought it was important to seek advice!) to be very careful about where you place them so the flame is nowhere near a branch or another decoration, to never ever leave the tree unattended when the candles are lit, and always keep a bucket of sand nearby.

I have to say, there is nothing prettier than real candles - even if you only enjoy them in short bursts. The 2019 Candleholder Set includes a star and heart version which look super pretty even when the candles aren't lit!



How cosy are these 2019 Tea light heart candle holders? They're like a cosy, warm hug! Did I mention, they're also made from 18 Kt. gold plated brass? Tea lights at the ready! 



We chopped down our tree at a local sustainable Christmas tree farm again this year, and we knew as we saw this one that it had a heart made of gold - isn't this ornament pretty?



I have always loved the idea of using Christmas decorations as part of gift wrapping - and the lucky recipient can hang this pretty 2019 Christmas ornament star on their tree the following year! Any guesses what's inside?



Hard one, but I think the 2019 Christmas Bell Decoration is my favourite. It's made from 18 Kt. gold plated brass and engraved with the year. I think this would make such a beautiful present, don't you?



Usually we put our Christmas tree in this corner, but this year my English family are descending on us (super excited) - so I thought keeping the daybed / reading corner could be a nice place for people to hang out alone with a book when it all gets a bit much (you know what it can be like!). I

True to Scandinavian style, I kept the decoration super simple (especially since it's so near the tree!), using just one single 2019 Christmas ball decoration. Helen (who came and hung out with me for the day to help with the shoot), pulled this mini fir tree up at her summer cottage in Blekinge (you might recognise the name as it's where we went sailing this summer). The key with these mini trees is to keep the roots intact so they last all Christmas.



What do you think? Could you imagine treating yourself or someone you love to something from the Georg Jensen 2019 Christmas Collection? Explore the entire collection here.

I am going to a christening soon and have my eye on the 2019 Christmas Collectibles Gift Set as a present. I hope it's something the little girl can enjoy at Christmas time for many years to come!

Have a lovely day!

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home
Styling: Helen Sturresson

This post is sponsored by Georg Jensen, however all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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10 Simple DIY Christmas Decorations Made From Nature!




FRIDAY friends, FRIDAY! And this weekend is going to be a cosy one - I can feel it! Not only did we have our first little flurry of snow in Malmö today (it didn't settle, but still...), the first Sunday of Advent is a hop, skip and a jump away which means we can start to decorate our homes for Christmas - OK, we all know I've already started but now it's official! This year I'm planning on making my own decorations. But there's a catch. I'm time poor and well.... I'm not super great at DIY. Also, it's still early in the game and I kind of like to start with subtle decorations - and then gradually build up to the big day. Sound familiar but on board? I've scoured the web for the prettiest, most simple Scandinavian DIY Christmas decorations I could find. Here are ten of my favourites - and they're all made from nature and super quick and easy to make! Ready to deck the halls with boughs of.... pinecones, fir tree branches and dried orange garlands?! Let's dive in!

1. These pretty fir tree stars / snowflakes look so pretty in the window. Use a little thread or thin wire to bind them together to form a star, add a little ribbon and they're ready to hang!

Beth Kirby
2. Sometimes it needn't be more complicated than a few sprigs from a fir tree and an old rope (beautiful rustic barn door optional!).

Bjørn Johan Stenersen
3. Little fir tree branches tied together with gardening twine - hang vertically or across wall to bring a wintery feel and a sweet smell of pine to your home!


4. I have pinecones all around my home at this time of the year - but I don't have any strung together as Christmas decorations. Time to get on the case, don't you think?


Weekday Carnival

5. A branch in a vase - why complicate things? (OK, you could throw in a candle and an ornament or two too).

Kelly Brown
6. Orang garlands are surprisingly easy to make, smell divine and if they look as pretty as the one in this picture, I'm all in! There's a great tutorial here


7. Got a few dried orange slices left over? Use them for pretty Christmas tree ornaments like A Clean Bee.

Louise Roe Copenhagen
8. I think I might have shared this one before, but hey, it's so pretty and so timely with the first Sunday of advent coming up that I couldn't resist including. A tray, 4 block candles and a load of cinnamon sticks, mini pinecones and eucalyptus branches is all that's needed!

Pomponetti
9. Moving one step on from number 2 - this fir tree branch has been spruced (sorry!) up with a garland of wooden stars (source similar here*) for a subtle, festive display.

The Merry Thought
10. This one is kind of like number 3 (OK, very alike!) - but slightly more formal arrangement and I like the way it's been hung. Pine needles at the ready... here's the tutorial.

I hope you found some of these ideas inspiring and it's given you a little inspiration for the weekend!

There's load more Christmas DIY, decorating and home tour inspiration in this archive! And here's the link to the Swedish Christmas snöblomma DIY again (in case you missed it!).

I'm so looking forward to a toasty few days here in Southern Sweden and rumour has it that the sun might come out for the first time in weeks.

Have a cosy weekend friends!

Niki

*This post contains one or two affiliate links which means if you click on an item and buy it, I might earn a very small amount of money - perhaps enough for a pepparkaka ginger snap biscuit with my tea!

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Cosy Christmas Touches in The Swedish Home of Anna Kubel

Every cloud has a silver lining - and that's definitely the case in Sweden right now. It's been so grey, that everyone has felt compelled to decorate their homes for Christmas early and I'm all for it!  In my mind nothing says jul  like amaryllis, ginger snaps, simple wreaths, paper stars and candles - and you'll spot every single one of these in the magical home of Anna Kubel. I had the pleasure of meeting Anna at an event earlier this year and have been following her on Instagram ever since (if you don't already follow her, it's a must!). Based in Stockholm, Anna is a photographer and visual storyteller as well as Mother to two little girls. Her home is full of vintage finds, warm, earthy tones and very cosy seasonal touches - many of which are handmade. Time to pour yourself a coffee and get cosy - her home is full of inspiring ideas! 



In our house we usually make simple pepparkaka biscuits with cookie cutters, but I love the idea of making snowflakes. I might just have to give this a try, how about you? 






I'm excited to see Anna's hanging stars / flowers - made from Sandberg wallpaper - so pretty! I shared a simple DIY tutorial for these here last week (just incase you missed it!). 

Anna's fabulous bed frame is by danish firm Sika Design. Source similar grey linen bedding here*


The pretty wallpaper is by Daniel Långelid and Emma Von Brömssen and the powder pink canopy is from Numero74

So lovely! I want to climb into the pictures and enjoy a pepparkaka baking session with the family (might just bring my girls along too!), it all looks so idyllic - unlike my mad house! 

Do you also feel inspired by the Jul touches in Anna's home? 

If you're starting to get into the Christmas spirit, there's a load of inspiration in this archive and on my Pinterest board

Have a cosy day!

Niki

Photography: Anna Kubel shared with kind permission
*this post contains a few affiliated links which means I might make a minute amount of money if you click and buy something. 

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Sweden's Big Christmas Decoration Trend (And You Can Make It Yourself!)


There's only one week to go before the first Sunday of advent and Christmas decorations are starting to pop across Sweden. Don't get me wrong, they haven't gone the whole hog - Christmas trees and dried orange garlands can wait. But nothing cuts through the darkness and lights your way home like the soft, white glow from 'adventstake' (7 candles arranged in a triangle), fairy lights and lanterns. Paper star lanterns have been one of the favourites for many years in Sweden, but this year there's a newcomer on the block: the 'snöblomma'. Made from tracing paper, card or even brown paper bags, these beautiful 'snow flowers' look equally beautiful hung in the window as they do strung up around the house. Last year they sold like wildfire so I wanted to give you a heads up - and spread a little snow flower love! 




Viktoria Holmgren













Aren't they beautiful?! There's a whole array available online - here are a few of my favourites:

GET THE LOOK


1. Paper star
2. Paper lamp shade lantern
3. Watt & Veke Julia Pappstjärna Blush
4. Snöblomma adventsstjärna
5. Watt & Veke Julius Pappstjärna Vit
6. Kathmandu paper star
7. Watt & Veke Oslo Pappstjärna
8. Paper flake
9. Watt & Veke Juliette Pappstjärna Rosa
10. Hanging paper stars

Not available in your country, or prefer to make your own? The good news is that some of these varieties are so easy to make. My girls and I followed Viktoria Holmgren's step by step DIY tutorial below and within an hour we'd created an entire garland!

Simple snow flowers












Frida Ramstedt of Trendenser recently shared this lovely DIY tutorial on how to make brown paper stars / flowers. It's relatively simple, and if you re-use brown paper bags /recycled paper - it's eco-friendly too!

Brown Paper Snow Flowers



Alternatively, if you're a bit of a dab hand at origami (I'm not!), you might like to create your own multi-tiered snow flower. Linnéa has shared a great tutorial (it's in Swedish but accompanied by plenty of pictures to guide you through the process) below:

Masterclass for the origami gifted!





What do you think? Could you imagine hanging these in your home this Christmas?

I think they're so beautiful!

Hop over to this archive to see more Scandi Christmas decorating inspiration this weekend (if this pops up first just scroll over!).

Have a fabulous couple of days friends and see you Monday!

Niki

PS I promise I'm not going to flood the blog with daily Christmas inspiration between now and the 24th December (although there'll certainly be a few!), I just thought I'd better get this out there in case you wanted to hop on the snow flower train! I've got a great home tour to share with you on Monday - not a decoration in sight!

Credits: top picture Fanny Blinden

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