Scandinavian Christmas decorations: 6 stylish ideas for the living room

Different countries, different customs. This saying, which is as banal as it is correct, applies to many situations in life, but especially to Advent and Christmas. Every year for the first Advent, smokers, nutcrackers and lovingly hand-painted wooden angels parade into the living rooms of Germans. Delicately turned pyramids decorated with small figures rotate on the table. There are arches of lights in the windows, and the illuminated poinsettia is a must for many people. The Northern Lights people of Europe decorate their living rooms completely differently at Christmas. Reduced to the bare essentials, as usual simple – many Swedes, Finns, Danes and Norwegians decorate their houses in white, dark blue, red and black during Advent. Wood, paper and nature play a big role. Would you also like to add some Scandinavian Christmas flair to your home? Here are a few ideas and suggestions.

Julenisse, Tomte Gnome or simply Wichtel are the names of the funny bearded people who move in especially in Denmark and Norway in the run-up to Christmas. The hallmark of the felt fellows: They have pulled their hats completely over their faces, with only their bulbous noses sticking out between their beards and pointed caps. Possible reason: You want to remain unrecognized. They come in all sizes, with dangling legs or without. The elves are part of the Scandinavian Christmas decorations, just like the smoker is in this country. As a rule, they appear as on.

Stars are one of the most important symbols of Christmas. Stars also play a central role in Scandinavian Christmas decorations. Folded paper stars in particular are found or hanging in many living rooms, especially in Norway. If you don’t have the creativity or time to make your own, you can get the paper stars ready to hang. The most popular colors are gold, white, and green. Similar to Germany, some can also be equipped with light bulbs, like this one . The big advantage of paper stars is that they can be used flexibly. They can be hung on the wall or in the window using a thin thread. Individually or as an ensemble in different colors and sizes. Cardboard stars are also suitable as a standing decorative element for sideboards or shelves.

Also nice: instead of paper there is a A real eye-catcher at Christmas time.

The light houses are hardly missing in any household, especially in Norway. The different shapes of the houses can be perfectly combined with each other. A tea light can be placed on the base plate, which will then make the house shine in a warm glow. As a rule, the houses are made of unglazed porcelain. So caution is advised here. Once it slips out of your hand, the house is definitely gone. The best places for small or large illuminated rows of houses and are the windowsill and the mantel.

In Scandinavia, wood is also often used as a decorative element outside of Advent and Christmas. If then at the beginning of December the first of the If the fire burns, additional figures made of wood move into the living rooms. Especially small ones . In contrast to the delicately carved ringlets or chip trees from the Ore Mountains, the decorative trees in the far north are more purist. But no matter how cool and smooth the light wood may seem: on a square piece of furniture, several of these six to ten centimeter high trees stylishly bring the forest into the living room. In Sweden so-called enrich the festive decorations in December. They are also made of wood and can often be painted and decorated yourself.

As spartan and discreet as the Scandinavians decorate, they also generously bring light into their four walls during the Christmas season. Probably also because in northern Europe there are many days in the winter months not a single or very few hours of sunshine. In addition to fairy lights that are placed both inside and outside, they love candles of all sizes, colors and shapes. The matching candlesticks and candle holders are often made of glass, sound, or wood, like this one . They are also placed in front of the front door or on the windowsill.

To make yourself really cozy on the sofa or in the armchair during the Christmas season, cushions and blankets that you can snuggle up in should not be missing. By far the most popular motifs: deer and . Of course, whatever you like is allowed here. The main thing is cozy. In the best case scenario, you use the blanket to pick up colors that you have already used in your Christmas decorations. But country house style patterns also decorate living rooms in the far north during the Christmas season. This is at the same time a throw for the sofa and a classic blanket for cozy evenings.