Christmas in Scandinavia - statistics & facts
The Danish hygge and the Swedish lagom are two Scandinavian concepts that go hand in hand with the winter holidays, even said to have been implemented as a way to deal with the dark, cold nights in Northern Europe. In the midst of preparing to spend quality time with their families, Scandinavian consumers rush to the stores to make the most of their holidays, keeping Christmas retail sales growing. People in Norway, Denmark and Sweden tend to go all out on Christmas and Christmas Eve church services are attended by thousands of people, with nearly 410,000 attendees in 2023 in Norway alone.
A growing trend amongst all Scandinavian countries seems to be the topic surrounding second-hand gift-giving. Driven by sustainability and rising costs, more and more Scandinavians choose to thrift Christmas gifts for their loved ones, or even re-gift items they have never used. In Denmark, second-hand gifting behavior was most popular among Gen Z and Millennials.
Most favored Christmas dishes
Another integral part of the Christmas holidays in Scandinavia is the preparation of festive meals to be shared with families and communities. For example, in Sweden the julbord features Christmas ham and a dish cleverly named Jansson’s temptation – a casserole made of potatoes, onions, pickled sprats and scream. While the Swedish prefer pork as their main dish, in Denmark this title went to duck for Christmas dinner.The pros and cons of holiday shopping
During the holiday season in 2024, one-third of Danes were expected to spend between 250 and 500 Danish kroner on gifts per person. Meanwhile, the average Norwegian was estimated to spend 12,250 Norwegian kroner on Christmas, over four-fifths of which would go to food and drink. Despite all efforts made in preparation for the holiday season, many Norwegians shared that they were growing weary of Christmas shopping especially around Black Friday, naming the intrusiveness of shopping ads as one of the main reasons why.A growing trend amongst all Scandinavian countries seems to be the topic surrounding second-hand gift-giving. Driven by sustainability and rising costs, more and more Scandinavians choose to thrift Christmas gifts for their loved ones, or even re-gift items they have never used. In Denmark, second-hand gifting behavior was most popular among Gen Z and Millennials.
