Paper stars in the window, brass advent candles, wooden Santas and glass baubles – 10 Scandinavian Christmas decorations that look better every year you bring them out.
A Scandinavian Christmas is quieter than most. Fewer colours, more candlelight. A single paper star in every window instead of a wall of fairy lights. Decorations made from glass, brass, wool and wood that come out of the same box each December and get passed down rather than thrown out.
If you'd like to bring that calm into your own home this year, here are ten pieces that define a Nordic Christmas – from the annual Georg Jensen collectible to the humble Swedish yule goat. All of them are available to compare across retailers on ScandiDeals, and it pays to buy early: the annual editions sell out well before December.
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Every year since the 1980s Georg Jensen has released a new Christmas collection, and every year Danish families add one piece to the tree. The Georg Jensen 2026 Christmas mobile in gold is this year's centrepiece: gold-plated, delicately balanced and stamped with the year so it becomes a small heirloom. Hang it in a window where it can turn slowly in the warm air.
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From the same hand as the famous wooden monkey comes the Kay Bojesen Santa Claus in red. Bojesen believed toys should have "a smile in their lines", and this little painted-beech figure has exactly that. He's the kind of decoration that ends up on the same shelf every year until the children start asking for him.
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Candles are non-negotiable at a Nordic Christmas table. The Kähler Hammershøi Christmas candlesticks in white, 12 cm carry the brand's signature grooves in a festive edition, and they take a standard taper candle. A pair down the middle of the table is enough; add a few sprigs of spruce and you're done.
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The Holmegaard Fairytales Christmas tree XL in clear glass and gold is a small glass tree that stands on a shelf or windowsill and catches whatever light is around it. Holmegaard has been making glass since 1825, and the Fairytales series is its take on the classic Danish Christmas: simple, sparkling and never kitsch.
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A Scandinavian tree usually sticks to one or two colours. The Iittala Christmas baubles, 80 mm, 5-pack in red are the easiest way to do that: five generous glass baubles in a deep, glossy red from the Finnish glassmaker behind Kastehelmi and Aalto. Mix them with plain white lights and a few wooden ornaments and the tree looks finished.
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If you want one splash of pattern, make it the Marimekko Piirto Unikko bauble in green. Maija Isola's Unikko poppy from 1964 is the most famous print in Finland, and on a 7 cm glass bauble it becomes a tiny piece of design history. It also makes a lovely stocking filler for anyone who loves Marimekko.
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Walk down any Swedish street in December and every window has a glowing paper star. The Watt & Veke Aino Slim Christmas star in white, 44 cm is the classic version: a slim, pleated paper star with a cord and a bulb holder, sized to fit a normal window. Hang it as soon as advent begins and leave it up until Twelfth Night.
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Counting down the four Sundays of advent with candles is a Nordic ritual. The Ferm Living Bowl advent candle holder in brass turns it into a piece of modern sculpture: a shallow brass bowl with four spikes for taper candles, which you can fill with moss, spruce or dried oranges. It looks just as good empty on the table in January.
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No Swedish December is complete without glögg, the spiced mulled wine served with almonds and raisins. The Rörstrand Blossa mulled wine mugs, 14 cl, 2-pack are made by Sweden's oldest porcelain maker for Blossa, the country's best-known glögg. Small, sturdy and decorated for the season, they're the right size for a warming cup rather than a whole glass.
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The straw yule goat, or julbock, is one of Sweden's oldest Christmas symbols. The Design House Stockholm pop-up tea light holder Christmas goat in brass reinvents it as a flat brass silhouette that pops up into a three-dimensional goat holding a tea light. It folds flat again for storage, which is exactly the kind of clever, unfussy design Scandinavians love.
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The secret to a Scandinavian Christmas is restraint: a few good materials, a lot of candles and decorations you're happy to look at for a whole month. Start with a star in the window and an advent candle holder, then add one collectible a year.
All ten pieces above are listed on ScandiDeals with prices from several Nordic design retailers. Compare, order early, and enjoy a calmer December.
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