Norlii Scandinavian Home December 2022 Review

Norlii is a $74.90 (+ $12.95 shipping) bi-monthly home subscription box filled with Scandinavian home decor and accessories. With the clean lines of Nordic designs and the warmth of the Danish hygge (a word that basically means a quality of coziness that creates a feeling of contentment), it's all about bringing a modern but comfy bit of Scandinavia to your home.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)

First Impressions

I'm a Christmas cookie person. I tell you this now because the December 2022  Norlii box is all about enjoying this holiday treat, and I immediately fell in love. Technically, the December subscription box is themed around "December in Stockholm," sending you on a trip to the Swedish capital city with a visit to the "gamla stan" or old part of town.

But with a literal box of cookies (plus the recipe to make your own) packed inside, this was the perfect box to get me in the mood to pull out the rolling pin and cookie cutters and pump up the holiday tunes.

What's Inside the Box

This month's box is packed with five items with a total value of  around $124 plus a recipe card that's priceless.

Cake Tins (Kadegaser) by Martin Schwartz — Listed Price $36

Every holiday season, I make cookies, place them in tins to keep, and send the tins out on their merry way to bring a little joy to people's tummies. Somehow, all of the tins never quite make it home. So I was happy to see two tins of different sizes packed into this month's Norlii box. Although they're labeled for cake, they're exactly what I would fill with cookies. Designed by Martin Schwartz, a Danish designer, the two tins include designs from Stockholm all around the sides.

The larger tin is listed as 7.7″ in diameter by 3.5″ high, while the smaller one is 5.7″ in diameter by 2.7″ high. Each is labeled with a word on top too — the first reads "Sverige" which means Sweden in Swedish, while the second tin boasts the word "Stockholm."

Pepparkakor by Anna's Original — Listed Value $6

The box of pepparkakor — which translates to pepper cakes in Swedish — lists the cookies as "almond thins" while the Norlii insert says they're akin to ginger snaps, so I really wasn't sure what I was in for when I took a bite.  Although I didn't taste pepper, per se, the cookies have a gentle kick that reminds me distinctly of Pfeffernüsse, a holiday cookie made in my German family with pepper in the recipe. Unlike Pfeffernüsse, which are soft and covered in powdered sugar, the pepparkakor are wafer thin and crumbly easily. In fact, when I dropped one on my kitchen floor, it broke into a half a dozen pieces that my dog very gladly took care of.

I probably could have sat down to eat them all ... but then I wouldn't have been able to photograph them for you! You'll note that the box says "pepperkaka" while the Norlii insert says pepperkakor. I looked up the difference. It appears the two are interchangeable. Both "kaka" and "kakor" are words for cookie in Swedish.

Best of all, there was a copy of the recipe included in the box, so you can make your own! Curiously, you will note there are no almonds in the recipe, so I'm still not sure why they're labeled almond thins!

Ceramic Plate from Broste Copenhagen — Listed Price $24

Tins for cookies you plan to take to a holiday get-together are wonderful, but what if you're the holiday host? This little stoneware plate from Broste Copenhagen is neutral enough to fit any decor and the perfect way to display those yummy cookies (note: that B is a sticker ... you can take it off!).

I do wish the plate was a bit bigger. At 8.5″ long by 5″ wide, I could fit only about 7 cookies across in one row. Granted, I could do more rows, but this is the sort of plate you put out if you have just one person over for coffee, not something you could use for a party.

Tea Towels by Södahl — Listed Value $26

If you're like me and like to lay out tea towels for your cookies to cool, then you'll love this practical addition to the Norlii box. The set of two towels from Scandinavian brand Södahl are organic cotton and each has a neutral beige or white with a stripe of the opposite color so they match any decor, just like the plate. They're a great size too at about 27.5" long by 19.7" wide, so you can cover a nice section of your counter or use them to wipe up spills. I appreciate this sort of towel when I'm drying dishes because it doesn't leave little pills behind!

"Blinka" Paper Star — Listed Value, $32

I left my least favorite item in this month's Norlii box for last. Don't get me wrong, the Blinka star is very pretty, but I don't have the high ceilings that are really necessary to hang it (hence the photo!) far enough away from my cats and their agile leaping abilities.

Meant to represent the big white stars that hang from Stockholm buildings, the star is made from paper and is quite fragile. It took two people's hands to put it together because of this (or perhaps because I was too scared to tear it?!). That said, instructions are included on the package, and it only took a minute once I had help. If you have the high ceilings, or at least a pet-free home, this may be a better fit for your house!

Was This Box Worth It?

This is one of my favorite parts of evaluating a box — adding it all up. A Norlii subscription is $74.90 with $12.95 shipping to the US, and this box was valued at around $124, so the math definitely works out in your favor. I'm also all set up with a new cookie recipe AND tins to put the cookies in, which sets me ahead on my cookie planning.

As always, subscribers also get a chance to shop the Norlii Scandinavian Store with 20% off more goodies that fit this month's theme and complement your box!

More You Should Know

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, you can still sign up to get the December box. And while the bimonthly box price has increased to $74.90 per box, you can also snag an annual subscription at the reduced price of $69.98 per box!

What do you think of the Norlii December 2022 box?