20 Ways To Display Authentic Scandinavian Christmas Decor

“Christmas is without a doubt the highlight of the year in Scandinavia,” writes Danish stylist Katrine Martensen-Larsen, author of The Christmas Season: Created by Scandinavian Artists (ACC Art Books, 2025). “We are already in a Christmas frame of mind from the first Sunday of Advent, often in late November. Some of us start even earlier, simply because we can’t wait.” If you love the minimalist, nature-inspired style of Scandinavian Christmas decor, consider this your sign to start decorating now!

According to Katrine, Scandinavian holiday decor is all about authenticity rather than ultra-elaborate ornamentation. “There is no need to buy expensive ornaments or visit exclusive florists — or even, as some do — hire a professional to create it.” Her guide to the season focuses on “using pinecones, dried branches, dried flowers and fewer, but quality, Christmas decorations, in a wonderful mix of old and new, inherited, eclectic, bought and homemade.” In that spirit, we’re sharing her just-published expertise and rounding up HGTV’s very best crafter- and designer-approved Scandinavian styling tips for the holidays — including DIY ornaments, tree decorating ideas, tablescapes and more. Get ready to ring in the season, Scandi style.

Create elemental, old-school ornaments like these Scandinavian-style wreaths to adorn your tree. Components like embroidery hoops, wood slices and unstained beads can become sculptural pieces that will complement midcentury and contemporary decor year-round and conjure more of that holiday hygge.

If you don’t have the heart to whisk your holiday finery out of sight when the 25th of December comes and goes, you’re in good company among Scandinavians. As Katrine explains, January 5th celebrates the Holy Three Kings’ discovery of Jesus in Bethlehem — and decorations remain in place for more than two weeks after that. “The 13th [of] January has two names, either the Twentieth Day (Tjugondedagen) or Knut’s Day (Knutsdag),” she writes. “This is when Christmas decorations are taken down and the trees are removed." There's even a song dedicated to this day.

This spectacular eat-in kitchen in the Danish city of Fredriksberg is already primed for Christmas, thanks to the bold choice of cranberry-red cabinetry. It leans into the season even more with a radiator cover repurposed as a ‘hearth’ with stockings and elegant evergreen boughs at the table.

As for other branches Scandinavians favor, consider "[w]ormwood, cherry, magnolia, fig, larch, holly, coniferous spruce ... or pine branches like forest, dune and mountain fir," Katrine writes. "Yes, any branches that have the strength to withhold being arranged in large vases or jars or having baubles, candles and paper ornaments hung from [them]," she continues. "They can add the Christmas mood long before bringing the Christmas tree indoors, or even be used as an alternative."

Budget-friendly craft-store standards, like birch rounds and bottlebrush trees, combine with greenery to turn a wreath form into a Scandi-style welcome. This geometric and organic silhouette is characteristically Scandinavian, and its rustic warmth will lend your porch instant personality.

"The tradition of hanging a Christmas wreath on the door at the start of the Christmas season is indeed a charming one," Katrine writes. "What a festive way to welcome people and extend the Christmas atmosphere to the outdoors. Many make their own wreaths out of spruce and decorate them with cinnamon sticks, dried oranges, ribbons and glitter. Some choose the simpler look with branches, pine cones and other natural materials."

Wreaths are every bit as welcome inside as they are embellishing exteriors. In this Scandinavian-inflected holiday scene, they have pride of place in the windows. Thanks to its repetition and symmetry, greenery like this gives the room a feeling of abundance.

The stylist, designer and boutique owner who lives in this farmhouse outside Copenhagen, told Katrine she prides herself on her gifts’ feeling of “hygge and warmth.”

“I generally decorate with a twig, a fresh or dried flower or perhaps a bauble, pretty ribbon, and to top them off, one of my handmade brass stars,” she explained. “Should I have some pretty fabric remnants, I like to use some of it as a ribbon or extra decoration. I wrap gifts according to the motto — the joy of anticipation is the greatest.” Channel this less-is-more look by wrapping your packages in minimalistic kraft paper, then upcycling handsome bits and bobs from around your home to add one-of-a-kind character.

Even if you don't have a tree, you can display plenty of jewel-bright ornaments. Here, the baubles are concentrated in a single statement piece on the coffee table. This styling move splits the difference between low-contrast Scandinavian serenity (that is, the rest of this neutral and contemporary space) and all-out holiday exuberance; nifty, no?

If you favor a more elaborate Scandinavian vibe, consider this festive table at a farmhouse north of Copenhagen. Elves and fresh apples share space with beloved family dishes, curling ivy, colorful vintage linens and jewel-toned votives. None of these pieces scream Christmas, but they’re clearly assembled for a special occasion. They also nod to the influential artists and designers Carl and Karin Larsson, whose aesthetic is considered a cornerstone of contemporary Swedish identity.

Creating a scene like this one couldn’t be simpler. Reach for beautiful fruits, your favorite tableware and trinkets that make you smile, then fill the spaces with candles. (A fragrant-from-the-oven spice cake like the krydderkage on the cutting board here — which Katrine's book will teach you how to prepare — doesn’t hurt, either.)

Warm candlelight is central in Scandinavian Christmas scenes — which makes sense, since the sun sets well before 4pm around the winter solstice.

Tapers are also emblematic of St. Lucia, celebrated in Sweden and other Nordic countries on December 13th, when Lucia processions headed up by a young girl (clad in white and wearing a candle-decked wreath on her head to evoke the light-bringing saint) announce the holiday’s official start. Borrow inspiration from Swedish communities around the world with your own beacons (and traditional post-processional treats like coffee and spiced baked goods).

A countertop coffee station is an authentically Scandinavian setting for holiday cheer. Switching out a small floating shelf’s contents for the season is an effective way to collect and display decor and ornaments that aren’t quite right for the porch or Christmas tree. Anchor your tableau with a geometric print and a trio of turned-wood trees (popular Scandinavian accessories that suit traditional and contemporary spaces), then add color and personality with playful details like this nutcracker and ornaments.

Serve-yourself hot beverage displays are also a magnificent opportunity to trot out mismatched heirlooms and special-occasion pieces that rarely make it to the table. Solo silver serveware is perfect for diminutive evergreen arrangements, cake stands stack beautifully to display transferware mugs, layered linens create a space that feels homespun and abundant — you get the idea.

After December 13th, Swedes begin drinking mulled wine, or glögg, spiked with whiskey and rum and accented with add-ins like dried cherries, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom. Fancy something a bit lighter? Orange wine (that is, orange simple syrup mixed with a bottle of red wine) is a bit lighter and more refreshing, Katrine writes, and you can swap in white wine and add slices of fresh ginger to the simple syrup to add zing. Bonus: Preparing the orange simple syrup calls for at least five hours of fragrant, home-infusing simmering.

Behold a suitable-for-any-design-style Nordic holiday display that comes together in no time: Start with a lazy Susan, perch a handcrafted woodland creature or two among unembellished bottlebrush and wooden trees, then fill a few taller, neutral pitchers with real or faux greenery (like the evergreen sprigs and dusty miller arranged here). This eye-catching yet unfussy arrangement can be whisked from the counter (or spun to appreciate its many good sides) with ease, thanks to its rotating base.

Counterbalance interior spaces bustling with warmth, light and crowds of loved ones with an understated outdoor area where guests can take a deep breath of fresh air. (Friluftsliv, or the Nordic idea of "outdoor life," is just as meaningful in the colder months as it is on long summer days). Layer outdoor furniture in cozy woven textiles with natural tones and fibers, then create an area of focused warmth like this tablescape's pillar candles.

Scandinavians' well-documented love of literature kicks into high gear in the cozy season, and no holiday host would consider their guests' spaces complete without reading material to complement edible and potable treats. Welcome your own visitors with Christmas tales, Nordic noir or a little of each; perch a handsome stack beside a vase of evergreen sprigs and a tin of tea or cocoa. You'll have boosted hygge like a pro.

The angels, faceted stars and bespoke napkin rings in this elegant Scandinavian holiday tableau were all lovingly handcrafted with scraps. “I simply can’t bring myself to throw pretty paper bags and boxes away,” homeowner and Danish jewelry designer Charlotte Lynggaard told Katrine. “Instead I save them and use them in all sorts of ways. I cut out gift cards, ornate shapes for the table settings and make napkin rings to go with the coral-hued napkins I embroidered.”

Her inspired upcycling is characteristic of contemporary Scandinavian holiday scenes: “We are well aware that this season especially encourages massive overuse, especially in our part of the world,” Katrine writes. “Thinking sustainably at Christmas is therefore something we are mindful of. We are not advocates of the ‘buy and throw away principle,’ whether with Christmas decorations or interior designing.”

Packing paper is also suitable for reuse in a Scandinavian-inspired holiday garland. This minimalistic look is all about creating texture by cutting fringe to form tassels. The resulting sprays just so happen to resemble the 'wheat sheves' created in traditional straw crafts.

Borrow a bit of Scandinavian holiday style by displaying cloches with pine cones, dried flowers and seed pods. Displays like this one are ideal for households where pets might be tempted to nibble on seasonal decor.

They also hint at another time-honored tradition in Nordic countries; visitors are always offered something to eat or drink at the holidays in Scandinavia, as are domestic animals (who receive extra food), Katrine writes. “In the countryside, it wasn’t only the livestock who benefited, but wild birds too. After the harvest, the last sheaves of wheat were stored, to be hung up on long rods for the wild birds on Christmas Eve.” That tradition made its way into urban areas at the end of the 19th century, and outdoor displays that hungry wildlife can enjoy are still popular today.