Most people dread winter and turning the clocks back an hour. Agnes Åkerlund loves it.
“None of my friends like the darkness, but I love the day when we set the clocks back and it gets dark an hour earlier,” says the Swedish model. “Winter is my favorite season. You light candles, you stay in. I thrive.”
It makes sense for someone who grew up in Kungälv, near Gothenburg, where half the year is dark and cold. Scouted at a One Direction concert a few days before her 15th birthday (“I was a super fan,” she admits), Agnes moved to Stockholm in 2020 and is now based in New York and signed with NEXT.
Swedes have turned staying in into an art. There’s mys, their word for that cozy feeling, and fika, the near-sacred coffee break and a cultural penchant for small luxuries that make a dark evening feel special. Agnes says that’s what makes a good gift, too. The best one she every received was one from her sister, a box filled with favorite lip balm and a cheap T-shirt hand-embroidered with daisies. “It didn’t cost much at all,” she says. “But I knew she really put time in it.”
To help you with your holiday gifting, I asked Agnes for the Swedish versions of gifts that capture that feeling: cozy, thoughtful and all under $50.
Mys: Indulge in Cozy Clothes
In Sweden, mys is that cozy feeling, and it usually means slippers and socks. That’s what I’d want most: a really nice pair of slippers, warm socks or a nice loungewear set.
Under $50, I’d go to Muji. It’s cheaper but high quality, with really good loungewear and slippers. Everything there is very minimalistic: Japanese minimalism that translates to Swedish minimalism. Honestly, I want to buy myself some slippers there.
To go the extra mile, make something by hand. Knitting a pair of socks is easier than you’d think. Just watch a YouTube video. Yarn and needles don’t cost much. My mom knits socks all the time, and this winter, someone in my friend’s family knitted socks for us. It was so cute. That’s the kind of thing you remember.
Fika: Make Her Coffee a Ritual
We take fika very seriously in Sweden. Instead of grabbing a cup to go, you sit down with a good coffee, or maybe some tea and a pastry, maybe with a friend at a café, maybe at home at 11 a.m. on a weekend. The point is to actually enjoy it.
To give her that kind of ritual, splurge on really good coffee or a more luxurious tea, whatever she drinks. (Check her coffee routine so you know whether to buy beans or ground.) Something a step up from the regular Trader Joe’s bag becomes the coffee you save for that moment when you really sit down.
I’d skip the mug unless it’s really special. Most of us already have our favorite cups. If you want to add something, get a nice plate for the pastries.
Dark Mornings: Sleeping In and Waking Up
Looking for the perfect gift? I’d go with a really cozy pajama set. When I buy them, I think about the material first. I want 100% cotton or something close. Polyester and other synthetics can get sweaty and too warm. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Just look at what it’s made of and avoid a lot of plastics. My favorite pajama pants are actually from H&M, and I like Brandy Melville, too. (Neither are expensive.)
If you want to make the dark mornings a little more special, get her a pack of under-eye patches. You put them on, have your coffee and it becomes a little spa ritual in the morning. It’s not more than 10 minutes, but it still feels nice.
Gifts for a Swedish Night In
For a traditional Swedish night in, go to IKEA and get glögg, the spiced wine we drink all through December. The classic is red wine with Christmas spices, but there’s also a non-alcoholic version. You drink it from small cups with almonds and raisins added in. It doesn’t cost much, and now that it’s almost Christmas, it’s a fun idea.
While you’re there, pick up some Daim. Swedes are very good at candy, and Daim, chocolate with hard caramel inside, is one of my favorites. Back in 2022, I went to IKEA for the meatballs, but really for the Daim.
If glögg isn’t her thing, splurge on a nice bottle of wine or make her a snack box of all her favorite things. Coming home to “I got all your favorite snacks” means more than another wine glass. It’s the thought.
Editor’s note: Mid-interview, Agnes handed me one of her last two Daim bars. Little things really do feel like a lot.
Scandi Style For The Home
People think of Scandinavians as very minimal: classic, simple, not too crazy. And it’s true. It’s so built into me that I don’t even think about it. Because we have three or four very dark months, we also have a lot of candles, so a candleholder is the best gift. Every Scandinavian has one.
Pair a nice holder with some taper candles. You can find them in really cute colors. The candles burn down, but the holder stays. Simple ceramics are very Swedish, too. Something minimal fits in every home, and when you’re buying a gift, you don’t want to go too crazy.
Gifts for New Relationships or Long-Term Couples
If it’s a new relationship, go for something tied to an inside joke. Find something in a little gift shop that makes you think of a joke between the two of you. It’s fun and not too much. Buy something really expensive early on, and it’s a bit weird. It just has to show that something reminded you of them.
If you’ve been together for years, notice what she’s running low on. Most women have a skincare product they always rebuy, usually under $50, that they don’t love spending money on. So if he says, “I saw your cream was running out, so I got you a new one,” that’s so thoughtful. After six months, that would be a little weird. After several years, it’s really cute.
The Gift Guys Think Is Romantic (But Isn’t)
The classic cliché is a plushie, like a teddy bear. It doesn’t really have any value. Flowers and chocolate are a cliché too, but they’re a good one. Flowers are nice and fresh, and they make the home feel nicer. Add a good chocolate, and you’re still under $50. It’s very cliché, but it’s a classic for a reason — it’s so cute.
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