🎄 How Christmas and New Year are celebrated in Sweden: a complete guide to a winter wonderland

❄️ Winter in Sweden: darkness outside, light and cosiness inside

When people talk about winter in Sweden, many immediately imagine long periods of darkness, frost and sharp north winds. Yes, there are few hours of daylight here, and snow and cold are frequent visitors. But it is precisely because of this that Swedes have learned to make winter surprisingly cosy: warm lights shine in the windows, Christmas stars and candles appear on the windowsills, and the streets are transformed into softly lit settings for a winter fairy tale.

This article will be useful for those who come to Sweden for a couple of days for the Christmas market, those who plan to spend their New Year's holidays here, and those who have already moved here — studying, working, living in the country and wanting to better understand local traditions.

The main thing to know in advance is that Christmas is much more important than New Year's Eve in Sweden. The central day of the holidays is not 31 December, but 24 December, Christmas Eve, when almost the entire country comes to a standstill, shops close, and families gather at home for a festive meal and presents. New Year's Eve is also celebrated, of course, but more as a nice date on the calendar than as the main winter holiday.

In this guide, we will take a step-by-step look at how Christmas and New Year's Eve are celebrated here, what traditions will surprise guests, and what to pay attention to in order to feel like you are ‘in the know’ and not just a random tourist.

📅 Calendar of winter holidays in Sweden (December–January)

This calendar helps you see Sweden's winter holidays as a single season: from the first lights and fairs to the moment when the Christmas tree is officially taken out of the house in mid-January. For tourists, it is a handy cheat sheet so you don't wonder why everything is closed on some days and, on others, especially lively.

🎇 Pre-Christmas atmosphere: how Sweden turns into a winter wonderland

🏙 Streets and shop windows: a city aglow

Pre-Christmas Sweden begins with lights. At the end of November, the central streets of major cities are lit up with garlands, light arches are strung across squares, and winter decorations appear in shop windows. Even if there is no snow yet, the lights create the feeling of a real winter wonderland.

In Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, December evenings are all about walking through the city centre: dark skies, damp cold air, illuminated embankments and the warm glow of cafés. In small towns, there are fewer decorations, but the atmosphere is often even more homely: one central street, a few shop windows, where each shop tries to come up with something unique.

🏠 Home comfort: stars in the windows and Christmas decorations

If you walk through residential areas in the evening, you will immediately notice the main winter rule of the Swedes: even when it is dark outside, houses must be lit up. Almost every apartment has paper or wooden Christmas stars, electric candlesticks and warm-coloured lamps in the windows. This makes entire neighbourhoods look as if they have been specially prepared for filming.

Inside the houses, everything is also designed for cosiness: textiles in warm shades, candles, garlands, small gnome figurines and, of course, a straw goat — julbock. Sometimes it stands at the entrance to the house, sometimes next to the Christmas tree. This decoration not only creates a festive mood, but also helps to gently get through the short daylight hours.

🎪 Christmas markets: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö

It is difficult to imagine the pre-Christmas season in Sweden without markets. Stockholm hosts several Christmas markets: a classic one in the Old Town, atmospheric fairs in Skansen and in some squares. In Gothenburg, the fair in Liseberg amusement park turns into a separate world with lights, street food and an ice rink. In Malmö, Christmas stalls appear in the central squares, and the whole city centre is filled with the smell of spices and baking.

The markets always offer glögg, the local version of mulled wine, spicy pepparkakor biscuits and a variety of handicrafts, from wooden toys to wool and ceramics. For tourists, these markets are a convenient place to combine a walk, tasting local food and buying souvenirs with a real ‘Swedish character’ rather than standard magnets.

💡 Tip for tourists: if you want to experience the pre-Christmas atmosphere, plan your trip for early or mid-December. By Christmas, some of the fairs are already closing, but in the first weeks of the month, they are in full swing.

🎁 Advent calendars: from children's to ‘adult’

Another important part of the pre-Christmas period is Advent calendars. Many people are familiar with the classic version: a box with windows, behind each of which is hidden a small piece of chocolate. In Sweden, this tradition has evolved: in shops, you can find calendars with toys, cosmetics, tea, coffee, spices and even local delicacies.

For children, an advent calendar is a way to bring Christmas a little closer every day. For adults, it is a cosy ritual: opening a new window in the morning or evening and treating yourself to a small gift. Tourists don't have to look for anything complicated: just go to the nearest supermarket and choose a calendar to your liking. It's an easy way to quickly get into the local holiday spirit, even if you're only visiting for a few days.

🎄 Christmas in Sweden: how 24 December unfolds

🌅 Morning: final preparations and the Christmas tree

The morning of 24 December in Sweden is like the final touch to a long pre-Christmas marathon. Some people are still cutting vegetables, roasting meat and putting the last dishes on the stove, while others are arranging cookies and sweets on plates for guests. Many families decorate their Christmas trees on this day so that they are ready to shine on Christmas Day: they take out boxes of toys, hang garlands, and place straw goats or gnome figurines under the tree.

Towards noon, life slows down noticeably. Shops operate on a reduced schedule, city centres become quieter, and most activity moves to the home. Those who do not live in the same city as their relatives try to arrive early so that they can make it to the dinner table and not spend the evening on the road.

📺 Day: the Kalle Anka tradition and the Swedish ‘pause mode’

By about three o'clock in the afternoon, the whole house is decorated, the table is almost ready, and it's time for one of the most unusual Swedish rituals — watching Kalle Anka. Every year at 3 p.m., a selection of classic Disney cartoons featuring Donald Duck is shown on television, and, surprisingly, a huge number of families still gather in front of the screen together.

For many, it's not so much about the cartoons themselves as it is about the feeling of tradition: that very moment that repeats itself year after year and unites generations. At this time, the streets become even emptier, and inside the houses, you can hear familiar music, quiet comments, and children's laughter. For tourists, this is a good indicator: if you see an empty city around three o'clock in the afternoon, it means that Christmas has already begun.

🎁 Evening: Jultomten, julbord and gifts

By evening, all attention shifts to the table and the living room. The family gathers for Christmas dinner, which in Sweden is called julbord. There are many different dishes, but the main thing is not the quantity, but the moment itself — the opportunity to sit together, take your time and eat in peace.

Somewhere in the middle of the evening, Jultomten — the Swedish Santa Claus — appears. Often it is one of the adults in a costume, sometimes a ‘real’ guest who comes with a bag of gifts. The children ask him questions, read poems, and then the distribution of gifts begins. On the labels, you can see short humorous rhymes — these are julklapp poems, a little game where you have to guess what's inside the package based on the poem.

The gifts are not opened at midnight, but on this very evening, so by the end of 24 December, only paper and empty boxes remain under the tree, and the happy children are already playing with their new things.

🌙 Night: silence, games and family time

After dinner and gifts, the quietest part of the holiday begins. Some people get out board games, some put on a Christmas film, and others just sit down with a cup of tea and chat with their loved ones. The streets are still almost deserted, and there are usually no fireworks on this day — this is a time for peace and quiet, not noise.

Christmas in Sweden is a very homely, ‘internal’ holiday. If you are visiting the country and staying in a hotel or rented apartment, it is important to understand that on the evening of 24 December, it will be unusually quiet, and many services will be unavailable. But you will have the chance to see the holiday from the outside: walk through the dark streets and see how dozens of Swedish families are spending their Christmas Eve through the glowing windows.

💡 Tip: do not plan any important purchases or trips for the second half of 24 December. Shops, cafés and transport operate on a reduced schedule, and at this time the country is already living according to the rules of Christmas, not a normal weekday.

🍽 Christmas table in Sweden (julbord): what is served and where to try it

The Christmas table in Sweden is called julbord, which literally means ‘Christmas table’. It is not just a dinner, but a whole system: dishes are laid out in ‘tiers’, and guests go through them one by one.

🐟 How julbord is organised

A classic julbord can be divided into several ‘stages’:

• first — herring and other cold appetisers: marinated herring with different flavours, salmon, pâtés, eggs, cold salads;
• then hot dishes: casseroles, sausages, warm vegetables, side dishes;
• after that, cheeses, fruits and light snacks;
• the final chord is desserts: pastries, sweets, rice pudding.

Guests serve themselves, but the unspoken rule is not to mix everything at once, but to move from cold to hot.

🥩 Classic dishes on the julbord

On most Christmas tables, you are almost certain to find:

• julskinka — Christmas ham with a mustard crust;
• köttbullar — Swedish meatballs;
• prinskorv — small fried sausages;
• Janssons frestelse — a casserole made from potatoes, cream and anchovies or sprats;
• various types of salted and marinated herring, salmon, pâtés, and salads.

Even if the composition varies slightly from family to family or restaurant to restaurant, the general spirit remains the same: lots of small dishes from which everyone can put together their ideal Christmas set.

☕ Drinks for the Christmas table

Julbord is often served with:

• glögg — a spicy hot drink, similar to mulled wine;
• julmust — a sweet carbonated drink that literally replaces cola on the shelves in December;
• coffee after a meal and sometimes a small dessert alcohol.

For children and those who do not drink alcohol, there are just as many options: juices, non-alcoholic glögg, and julmust.

🏨 Where tourists can try julbord

If you are visiting Sweden in December, you don't have to look for a private invitation to a family — julbord is quite accessible to tourists:

• Restaurants and hotels offer Christmas buffets by advance booking.
• Cruises around the archipelago in the Stockholm area or other coastal cities often combine a boat trip with a Christmas dinner on board.
• for those who live and work in the country, office julbord are not uncommon — a corporate format where colleagues celebrate the upcoming holidays together.

Such a dinner is one of the quickest ways to get a taste of Swedish Christmas in one evening and at the same time find out which dishes the locals consider ‘mandatory’ during this period.

💡 If you are planning a trip in December, it makes sense to book your julbord in advance: popular places in large cities quickly fill up with locals who also want their little piece of the Christmas atmosphere.

🎁 Gifts and small Christmas traditions in Sweden

🎀 What adults usually receive

In Swedish Christmas culture, gifts are most often practical and thoughtful. It's not so much about the ‘wow’ effect as it is about care and convenience in everyday life. Common gifts include:

• useful items for the home — textiles, tableware, cosy blankets;
• quality products — coffee, tea, fine sweets, delicatessen sets;
• cosmetics and skincare sets;
• gift certificates for shops, salons, and experiences.

Gift certificates are especially popular: they make it easier to guess what someone wants, while still giving them a sense of personal choice.

🧸 Gifts for children

Children's gifts in Sweden are a combination of joy and usefulness. Depending on age, these can include:

• toys and construction sets;
• board games for the whole family;
• books, including those about Christmas and winter;
• clothes and accessories, if the child is older;
• for teenagers — technology, headphones, gadgets, gift cards for games and online services.

The main idea is not to overwhelm the child with a dozen random items, but to choose something that will actually be used.

✏️ Julklapp poems: a little game with clues

One of the cutest Christmas traditions is julklapp poems. Instead of the usual inscription, a short humorous rhyme hinting at the contents is written on the gift. The recipient reads the quatrain and tries to guess what's inside before tearing the paper.

The format is something like this: a couple of lines about a situation or a person and a hint about the gift. For example, if you are giving a warm scarf, the poem might refer to the winter cold and the desire to ‘wrap yourself in something soft’.

This adds an element of fun to the gift itself and makes the presentation more lively: people laugh, try to understand the hint, and then compare their expectations with reality.

🔄 Secret gift exchange

Groups of friends or offices often practise a format called secret gift exchange, which is similar to Secret Santa. Each person draws the name of a person for whom they need to prepare a small surprise for a specified amount.

This format helps to:

• not spend a lot of money on each person individually;
• still feel the Christmas spirit and attention from colleagues or friends;
• organise a small celebration even in a work environment.

Sometimes julklapp poems are used here too, so that the exchange becomes not just a distribution of packages, but a small performance.

💡 If you are visiting a Swedish family or at a party where there is a gift exchange, a safe option is something useful and neutral: delicious coffee, good sweets, candles, a small home accessory or a gift certificate.

🎆 New Year in Sweden: parties instead of family gatherings

Unlike Christmas, New Year in Sweden is perceived as much less ‘sacred’. It is not about a big family tradition, but rather about a beautiful evening, meeting friends and the feeling of a ‘new beginning’. Many people have already celebrated the main event of the winter on 24 December, so the 31st is more about the festive atmosphere than any deeper meaning.

🍽 Dinner at home or in a restaurant

The most common scenario is to gather in a small group around the table:

• at home, at a friend's house or at your own place;
• or at a restaurant offering a New Year's menu and pre-booked tables.

Often it is not a Swedish ‘Christmas buffet’, but a regular dinner, just more festive: beautiful dishes, good wine, slightly more elegant clothes than usual.

🥂 Parties with friends

Many Swedes prefer the format of a house party:

• friends bring food and drinks,
• someone is in charge of the music,
• and part of the evening is spent chatting and playing board games.

This kind of New Year's Eve is often quieter than what we are used to: without loud toasts every five minutes and endless contests, but with the feeling that ‘we are spending this year together.’

🎇 Open-air celebrations

In large cities, there are also public celebrations:

• in Stockholm, it is popular to celebrate New Year's Eve at Skansen, where people read poetry, musicians perform, and the last seconds of the old year are counted down;
• in other cities, people go to the embankments, squares or viewing points to watch the fireworks and lights.

These are not necessarily giant official fireworks displays, as in some countries, but they still create a sense of togetherness: strangers in hats and scarves wait for midnight, take out champagne and congratulate each other.

⏰ Midnight, champagne and fireworks

By midnight, all scenarios converge:

• champagne is opened,
• a short toast is made,
• people go out into the street or onto the balcony to watch the fireworks.

In Sweden, there are restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks, so mass fireworks displays are usually concentrated around a specific time and place. It's still noisy, but it doesn't turn into endless ‘artillery’ throughout the night.

As a result, New Year's Eve in Sweden is not a second ‘big family holiday,’ but rather a pleasant addition to Christmas: an opportunity to end the year on a high note, see friends, and watch the night sky lit up with fireworks.

🌟 Where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Sweden

🏙 Stockholm: fireworks views and the atmosphere of the capital

If this is your first time in Sweden, Stockholm is the logical choice. The city is especially beautiful on New Year's Eve: lights reflect in the water, the old town is illuminated, and fireworks can be seen from several locations.

It's a good idea to choose a spot in advance where you can see the bay and part of the city centre: embankments, bridges, observation decks. This will allow you to feel the overall scale of the holiday: people with glasses around you, someone setting off fireworks, congratulations in different languages.

A separate story is the celebration at Skansen. It is not just an open-air museum park, but a classic New Year's meeting place for many locals. There is music, poetry readings, a countdown to midnight, and all this in the atmosphere of old Sweden. For tourists, it is a gentle, ‘intimate’ option without aggressive city noise, but with a vivid sense of celebration.

🌊 Gothenburg, Malmö and other major cities

In Gothenburg and Malmö, the format is similar: the city centre comes alive in the evening, with people gathering by the water, in squares and on the embankments. There is less hustle and bustle than in the capital, but there are plenty of cafés and restaurants where you can start the evening with dinner and then go out onto the streets at midnight.

It is often enough to simply head towards the centre: the main New Year's attractions are usually concentrated where there are the most people and lights. If it is important for you to dine at a specific place, it is better to book a table in advance — this is a popular scenario among locals as well.

🌲 For lovers of nature and tranquillity

Not everyone wants to spend New Year's Eve in a crowd, and Sweden is perfect for a different scenario — a quiet holiday. Many people rent cottages in the forest or by a lake: a fireplace, snow outside the window, a few close friends, dinner and a quiet toast at midnight.

In the north of the country, there may be an added bonus — the Northern Lights, if you are lucky with the weather. Then New Year's Eve is not about fireworks, but about the sky, which glows on its own.

This format is especially appealing to those who are tired of loud celebrations: you still feel the moment of the turn of the year, but you have space and time for yourself, without noise and rush.

💡 If you want to combine the urban atmosphere with nature, you can spend a few days in the capital or a large city and New Year's Eve itself in a cottage outside the city. This way, you will see two different sides of the Swedish winter in one trip.

🧭 Practical information: what tourists and expats need to know

Winter holidays in Sweden are not only about lights and fairs, but also about changes in the working hours of everything around you. To avoid being left without food, alcohol, or transport at the most inopportune moment, it is important to take into account public holidays and the high season.

📌 Public holidays and working hours

During the Christmas and New Year period in Sweden, there are several dates when life slows down noticeably. Official holidays and ‘holidays’ affect:

Offices and government agencies

• Most offices and government agencies are closed on red days and may close earlier than usual on the eve of holidays (24 and 31 December).
• If you need a visa, banking services or any bureaucratic assistance, plan to do so on weekdays before the holidays, rather than ‘before Christmas’.

Shops and shopping centres

• On 24 December, many shops operate on a reduced schedule and close in the afternoon.
• 25 December is one of the quietest days of the year: most places are closed.
• On 26 December and 1 January, some shops remain closed or operate on a reduced schedule.
• On normal days between holidays, shopping centres often operate as usual, but it is always best to check the schedule for a specific location.

Systembolaget (alcohol)

• Alcohol in Sweden is sold through the Systembolaget chain, which is most affected by the calendar.
• On public holidays, shops are closed, and on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, they are only open until lunchtime.
• On Sundays and official public holidays, Systembolaget is usually closed.

Tip: it is better to plan your alcohol purchases for Christmas and New Year in advance and check the opening hours of your nearest Systembolaget at least a few days in advance.

🚍 Transport during the holidays

The holidays also affect transport, both urban and interurban.

• On Christmas Day and 1 January, there is a reduced timetable: buses and trains run less frequently, and some services are cancelled.
• On New Year's Eve, there may be special night routes, but it is best to check them in advance in the app or on the carrier's website.
• Intercity trains and planes fill up quickly on popular dates (before Christmas and immediately after New Year's Eve), and prices rise.

If you are planning to travel between cities during this period, allow extra time and buy tickets in advance, especially if the journey is important and difficult to reschedule.

💸 Prices and reservations

Christmas and New Year are the high season for travel to Sweden:

• Accommodation (hotels, apartments, cottages) in large cities and popular winter destinations should be booked in advance. The closer to the dates, the less choice and the higher the price.
• Air tickets and trains on ‘peak’ days (a few days before Christmas and New Year) become significantly more expensive.
• Restaurants with julbord and New Year's menus often work by reservation: there may not be any free tables ‘just walk in off the street’.

If you have fixed travel dates, it is better to plan the basics right away — tickets, accommodation and at least one festive dinner. This way, you will avoid unnecessary stress and be able to enjoy the atmosphere instead of hunting for the last available options.

🤝 Tips for those who live in Sweden all year round

Life in Sweden changes significantly in winter: different rhythms, more cosiness at home, a strong emphasis on family traditions. If you are studying, working or have moved here for a long time, the winter holidays are a good time to gently ‘enter’ the local culture without losing yourself.

🧩 How to fit into traditions without imposing your own

The most effective approach is to take an interest and ask questions. Swedes are usually happy to explain what they do for Christmas and why, from the mysterious Kalle Anka to julklapp poems.

• You don't have to adopt all the traditions as your own right away, just participate: come to julbord, watch Lucia, play secret Santa.
• If you have your own customs (for example, celebrating New Year's Eve ‘the old-fashioned way’ at a different time), you can share this as an interesting fact, but without expecting everyone around you to follow suit. This is usually accepted as normal if presented as an addition rather than the ‘correct’ way to celebrate.

The main principle is to respect what is important to the locals and be honest about what is important to you.

🎁 Invitations to visit: what to bring with you

If you are invited to someone's home for Christmas dinner or a New Year's party, it is customary not to come empty-handed. The most appropriate gifts are:

• a box of good chocolates or sweets;
• flowers (often in a pot or as a Christmas arrangement);
• a bottle of wine or other drink, if you know it is appropriate;
• a small gift for children, if there are children in the house.

It is customary to check in advance whether you can bring something to the table (dessert, salad, etc.). Shoes are almost always taken off at the entrance, so clean socks are not a joke, but a really useful item to prepare.

🧑‍💼 Corporate parties and julbord from the employer

The winter julbord from the employer is an important part of working life. It is both a way to thank employees for the year and an unspoken indicator of ‘how things are done here’.

A few unspoken rules:

• Dress code. Usually it's smart casual: neat, a little dressier than the usual office, but no need for an evening gown or tuxedo (unless specifically stated).
• Alcohol. It is often present, but employees are expected not to get too drunk. If you don't drink, it's perfectly acceptable: just order a non-alcoholic drink and don't make excuses.
• Behaviour. It's still a semi-formal work environment: you can joke and socialise more freely than in the office, but it's best to avoid topics such as politics and overly personal questions.

Julbord with colleagues is a good opportunity to get closer to the team without intrusive networking: just be involved, keep the conversation going and don't disappear first thing after dessert.

🌌 Darkness and winter mood

December and January in Sweden mean little light and many grey days, and everyone feels it, including the locals. The holidays help to get through this period, but personal habits are also important:

• try to spend at least a little time outside in daylight every day;
• don't skimp on home lighting: warm light, candles, lamps are not just decor, but a way to maintain your energy levels;
• agree with yourself on small pleasant rituals: meeting friends, fika, a walk, your favourite TV series;
• You can discuss vitamin D and other basic things with your doctor if you feel a strong drop in energy.

A separate, detailed article could be written on how to survive winter in Sweden, with ideas on daily routines, lighting, activities, and socialising. In conjunction with the Christmas theme, it would help those who live here not only to understand the holidays but also to feel better during this period in general.

✨ Results: winter holidays in Sweden without surprises or stress

Christmas in Sweden is about home, family, candles in the windows, quiet streets and long evenings at the table. The main day here is not 31 December, but the 24th: at this time, the country literally freezes, shops close early, and life moves to living rooms and kitchens. New Year's Eve, on the contrary, is more about meeting friends, dinners, parties and fireworks — a beautiful point on the calendar, but not the main meaning of winter.

To make your trip to Sweden during this period comfortable, it is important to take into account the high season, public holidays and the peculiarities of shops, Systembolaget and transport. The sooner you think about tickets, accommodation and at least one festive dinner, the easier it will be to simply enjoy the atmosphere rather than solving organisational problems at the last minute.

If you are just planning your itinerary, take a look at the sections on Swedish cities and regions, selections of places to visit, Christmas markets and cosy establishments — this will help you quickly understand where you want to spend these winter days and which parts of the country are worth adding to your personal holiday itinerary.