Do you read the blog My Scandinavian Home? I love her style! (And how perfect is that imperfect tree?)
You can see more photos of her home last Christmas, here.
Tag: sweden
SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS :: Christmas by H&M
The Swedish clothing and home brand H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) was founded in 1947, but it’s only in the last decade that they’ve really gained popularity in the United States. But unless you were lucky enough to live near one of their stores, H&M still remained out of reach. But this year — less than six months ago — H&M opened up online shopping to US customers. Woohoo!
In case you, for some odd reason, haven’t already obsessively stalked the Christmas section of their website ;), here are some of the prettiest Christmas images from H&M Home’s Christmas selection.
SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS :: Fika / Coffee Break
A routine break in the day for coffee and sweets is a good thing to have as a part of the zeitgeist, no? In Sweden, these coffee breaks are called fika. And Cereal Magazine has a few photos of a Swedish-inspired cafe called just that.
(P.S. Want to see how Dala horses are made? There’s a video here!)
SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS :: The Making of the Swedish Dala Horse
Carved wooden horses have been a part of Swedish culture since the 1600s. The distinct shape as we know it today was introduced in the 1700s, and the iconic paint pattern came along in the 1800s. Dala horses were even sometimes used as payment! But it wasn’t until 1939, when a Swedish architect created a huge Dala horse for the World’s Fair in New York, that the popularity of the dalahäst really took off.
[If video player does not appear, click here to view.]
Oh, I know they aren’t a traditional Christmas decoration. But they’re traditionally Swedish, and just happen to be come in very Christmasy colors. So why not? There are no rules about how you can decorate for Christmas — make the season your own, and let the decor reflect your own personality, style and heritage.
Want to contribute to the 3rd Annual Scandinavian/Nordic Christmas Series? Click here to find out how!
SCANDINAVIAN & NORDIC CHRISTMAS :: 3rd Annual Open Call for Christmas Submissions
It’s October, and already, I’m seeing a big spike in Christmas-related searches. (You all really, really love Christmas posts.) Can you believe it’s almost time for the Third Annual Scandinavian & Nordic Christmas Series? It’s crazy that we’ve been doing this together for three years now!
If you’re a new reader, every year in November and December everything goes Christmas here on Oaxacaborn. And not just any Christmas. We celebrate all things Scandinavian and Nordic, and during these next two months the blog will be full of Jul with brilliant guest posts by bloggers, photographers, writers from around Northern Europe.
We’ll talk about advent calendars (julkalender and adventskalender, that is), traditional celebrations and foods, wrapping paper, decorations, meals, dinner parties, ornaments, and Christmas trees. We’ll delve into snowy winters and traditions and we’ll light candles in the windows and we’ll deck the halls with red and white (and blue and yellow, and blue and white, too).
The most amazing part to me about the Annual Scandinavian & Nordic Christmas series is how all of you — all of us — come together to make this happen. For the last two years, people from all over Europe and the US and have shared beautiful Decemberish photographs and words with Oaxacaborn readers, and it’s you who have made this series the success it is today.
If you participated before, you’re welcome to share again! If this is your first time, we’re so happy to have you. (You don’t even need to be Scandinavian or Nordic…just a lover of Christmas and the northern traditions.)
Maybe you have a tutorial on how to create a Swedish heart. Maybe you want to share how your family celebrates Finnish Independence Day. Maybe your Christmas dinner table last year was stunning, and you want us to see. Maybe you live in a Scandinavian or Nordic country, and you want to send photos of your town’s or family’s celebrations. Maybe you have a memory of your grandparents and how they passed down the traditions to you. Maybe you’re an absolute pro at curating images, and you want to send a round-up of (properly credited) Christmas images. Maybe you’re a knitter who creates Icelandic sweaters. Maybe your Norwegian heritage shows proudly every time you get out the Christmas decorations. Maybe you want to show how the streets of Copenhagen look in December. Maybe you want to share some Christmas legends and lore. Or maybe you have a killer mantle display and want to share the wintry beauty.
Remember, we’re celebrating all things Nordic and Scandinavian, all November and December. So in addition to Christmas (of course!) this series also aims to showcase any national holidays or celebrations happening during that time leading up to Christmas, too.
So what are you waiting for? Check out the previous Scandinavian/Nordic Christmas posts here, and then email me, oaxacaborn@gmail.com.
(Content which you’ve already published on your own blog is perfectly fine. And remember, the posts don’t have to be lengthy – a single inspiring image is excellent, as well.)
Can’t wait to hear from you. :)
Hyvää Joulua! God Jul!
SCANDINAVIAN SUMMER :: Linnea’s Swedish Midsommar Celebration
Every winter, there’s a whole lotta Scandinavian and Nordic Christmas beauty on this blog. The Scandinavian Christmas series is one of my very favorite blog features — and, judging by the stats, it’s yours, too.
When lovely reader Linnea emailed me photos of her beautiful Swedish Midsommar celebration, I could hardly believe I never thought of having a Scandinavian Summer series as well!
While midsummer is already past, it’s not too late to celebrate, right? Not at all! I’ve just added a Scandinavian Summer category, so if you want to send me your summery photos, feel free! I might feature them. :)
Here’s how Linnea celebrated this year.
See the rest of Linnea’s really gorgeous Swedish Midsommar photos here!
CHRISTMAS :: Call for “Scandinavian Christmas” Blog Submissions
I’m planning a Scandinavian Christmas series!
Image via In case you think it’s crazy to talk about Christmas already, well, December 25th is actually THIS. CLOSE. Can you believe it?
The Scandinavian Christmas post I did last year on the topic is my number one most-viewed and most-pinned post of all time — year-round, not just during the holidays — so I’m excited about an entire dedicated series.
So, do you have photos of your home to share?
Or perhaps you’d like to contribute a blog post on Scandinavian Christmas traditions?
Or maybe you’re a fellow admirer of Scandinavian Christmases, and want to share a brilliant round-up of wintery Nordic images (properly sourced and credited, of course)?
Or maybe you live in one of these countries and want to share your experiences?
Email me oaxacaborn at gmail dot com to be included in this great series!
INSPIRATION :: Greta Garbo…and Astrid Lindgren
Did you know that in Sweden, the new 20 Kronor bill will be light purple and feature a picture of Pippi Longstocking creator Astrid Lindgren? And there will soon be a blue 100 kronor bill with Greta Garbo’s portrait!
Here in the United States, authors of children’s literature and movie stars aren’t people we’d ever think to associate with paper money. But I kind of really love it, don’t you?
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