# Home for Christmas
**Home for Christmas** (*Hjem til jul*) is a Norwegian romantic comedy-drama series that premiered on Netflix on 5 December 2019, created and directed by Per-Olav Sørensen and starring Ida Elise Broch as Johanne, a single nurse hunting for a partner to bring home for [Christmas Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-eve)[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix) • [2](https://rollebesetningen.com/filmer/rollebesetningen-i-hjem-til-jul/). It was Netflix's first Norwegian original series and ran for three seasons between 2019 and 2025[3](https://www.telenor.no/privat/artikler/underholdning/aktuelt/film-serier/twe-tipser-hjem-til-jul-netflix/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | *Hjem til jul* (Norwegian language)[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix) |
| Creator / director | Per-Olav Sørensen, also co-writer; season 1 co-directed by Anna Gutto[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix) |
| Lead | Ida Elise Broch as Johanne, a 30-year-old nurse in season 1[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix) |
| Premiere dates | Season 1: 5 December 2019; Season 2: 18 December 2020; Season 3: 12 December 2025[2](https://rollebesetningen.com/filmer/rollebesetningen-i-hjem-til-jul/) • [4](https://www.aftenbladet.no/byas/i/9OOn5q/andre-runde-hjem-til-jul-faar-premiere-18-desember) • [5](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-home-for-christmas-s3-is-coming-to) |
| Episodes | Three seasons, twenty half-hour episodes (6 + 6 + 8)[6](https://en.roros.no/seasons/christmas/home-for-christmas) |
| Filming locations | Røros (especially its main street) and the Kampen neighborhood of Oslo[6](https://en.roros.no/seasons/christmas/home-for-christmas) |
| Production | The Oslo Company; season 3 made with Sørensen's The Global Ensemble Drama[7](https://www.kampanje.com/medier/netflix-bekrefter-ny-sesong-av-hjem-til-jul/310237) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and story
The first season follows Johanne, who finds herself at 30 the only one among friends and family without a partner. Worn down by comments on her single life and by society's expectations of the perfect family Christmas, she starts a 24-day hunt for a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix). Her love interests are played by Felix Sandman, Kingsford Sayor, and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix). The large supporting cast includes Ghita Nørby, Dennis Storhøi, Anette Hoff, Hege Schøyen, Line Verndal, and [Herbert Nordrum](https://www.edgepedia.org/herbert-nordrum), among others[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix). In the main family circle, Gabrielle Leithaug plays Johanne's best friend Jørgunn, and Anette Hoff and Dennis Storhøi play her parents Jorid and Tor[2](https://rollebesetningen.com/filmer/rollebesetningen-i-hjem-til-jul/).
Season 2 premiered on 18 December 2020[4](https://www.aftenbladet.no/byas/i/9OOn5q/andre-runde-hjem-til-jul-faar-premiere-18-desember). After it, Netflix said there would be no more seasons[7](https://www.kampanje.com/medier/netflix-bekrefter-ny-sesong-av-hjem-til-jul/310237).
**Season 3.** At a press conference in Stockholm in September 2024, Netflix reversed that decision and confirmed a third season. Sørensen explained that the season 2 ending had been fairly definitive and hard to build on, but that Johanne, five years older and at a new place in life, gave the writers a chance to start fresh; at that point the new season had no script yet[7](https://www.kampanje.com/medier/netflix-bekrefter-ny-sesong-av-hjem-til-jul/310237). The season launched globally on 12 December 2025, picking up five years after season 2 with Johanne now 35, single after a breakup with Jonas, helping her siblings and her lonely father, and holding a new leadership position at work while wondering whether she dares to love again[5](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-home-for-christmas-s3-is-coming-to) • [8](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81083590). Returning cast members include Dennis Storhøi, Anette Hoff, Helga Guren, Hege Schøyen, Christian Ruud Kallum, Audun Sandem, Iselin Shumba, and Felix Sandman; new cast members include Gard Løkke, John Carew, Herman Tømmeraas, Felicia Danielsson, Bjørn Sundquist, and Janne Heltberg[5](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-home-for-christmas-s3-is-coming-to). Sørensen directed, co-directed by Aurora Gossé[5](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-home-for-christmas-s3-is-coming-to).
## Production and setting
Production began in Røros, Norway, in March 2019[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix), and the series was also filmed in the Kampen neighborhood of Oslo[6](https://en.roros.no/seasons/christmas/home-for-christmas). Sørensen has described Røros, a historic mining town whose December streets and [Christmas market](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-market) feature prominently, as an essential part of the show's "fantasy town": the geography is deliberately loose, because Netflix wanted a show with global appeal, and Røros's main street became a signature element that the production kept for later seasons[6](https://en.roros.no/seasons/christmas/home-for-christmas).
The writing team on season 1 comprised Miriam Larsen, Mattis Herman Nyquist, Julie Skaufel, Fredrik Høyer, and Sørensen, working from an idea by Amir Shaheen and [Kristian Andersen](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristian-andersen); producers were Trond Kvernstrøm, Christian Steen, and Anders Tangen at The Oslo Company[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix).
## Reception and international reach
Sørensen has said season 1 was an experiment: Netflix did not know how a Scandinavian Christmas comedy would land globally, but the show became a global success, and Netflix then ordered season 2[9](https://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/hjem-til-jul-regissoren-netflix-gir-store-muligheter/7144074). After the second season, media reported that the series appeared on Netflix's global top-ten list, and Broch said she had received many messages from international fans praising her character[3](https://www.telenor.no/privat/artikler/underholdning/aktuelt/film-serier/twe-tipser-hjem-til-jul-netflix/).
The series has become a recurring part of Norwegian Christmas viewing: each December it climbs the Norwegian Netflix popularity charts near the top, despite having gone years without new episodes[3](https://www.telenor.no/privat/artikler/underholdning/aktuelt/film-serier/twe-tipser-hjem-til-jul-netflix/). It also inspired remakes in Italy and South Africa[3](https://www.telenor.no/privat/artikler/underholdning/aktuelt/film-serier/twe-tipser-hjem-til-jul-netflix/). Critics have noted its adult take on holiday romance; a parental-review service describes it as a realistic romantic dramedy about the gap between the life you have and the life others expect by 30, with mature content rather than family fare[10](https://screenwiseapp.com/media/home-for-christmas-show).
## Other works titled Home for Christmas
The title has also been used for unrelated works. A 2010 Norwegian feature film directed by Bent Hamer, based on short stories by Levi Henriksen, follows intersecting lives in the fictional small town of Skogli over a couple of hours on Christmas Eve; it won the Best Script award at the [San Sebastián](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-sebastian) festival in 2010[11](https://www.pandorafilm.com/filmography/home-for-christmas.html). *Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas* is a 44-minute 2023 Apple TV+ music special in which the Emmy-winning actress performs festive classics with a big band and guests at the London Coliseum[12](https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/hannah-waddingham-home-for-christmas/). [Susan Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-boyle) released a Christmas album titled *Home for Christmas* in October 2013, and [Celtic Woman](https://www.edgepedia.org/celtic-woman) released one of the same name in 2012[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-for-christmas-mw0002583480) • [14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-for-christmas-mw0002420135).
## References
1. [From the Director of Quicksand Comes Home for Christmas, a New Norwegian Original Series from Netflix, About Netflix (22 March 2019)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/from-the-director-of-quicksand-comes-home-for-christmas-a-new-norwegian-original-series-from-netflix)
2. [Rollebesetningen: Skuespillere og roller i Hjem til jul](https://rollebesetningen.com/filmer/rollebesetningen-i-hjem-til-jul/)
3. [Endelig er den norske juleperlen tilbake!, Telenor T-We (12 December 2025)](https://www.telenor.no/privat/artikler/underholdning/aktuelt/film-serier/twe-tipser-hjem-til-jul-netflix/)
4. [Andre runde «Hjem til jul» får premiere 18. desember, Aftenbladet](https://www.aftenbladet.no/byas/i/9OOn5q/andre-runde-hjem-til-jul-faar-premiere-18-desember)
5. [Christmas Is Just Around The Corner: 'Home For Christmas' Season 3 Is Coming to Netflix on December 12, About Netflix (16 October 2025)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/christmas-is-just-around-the-corner-home-for-christmas-s3-is-coming-to)
6. [Home for Christmas, Visit Røros and Østerdalen](https://en.roros.no/seasons/christmas/home-for-christmas)
7. [Netflix bekrefter ny sesong av «Hjem til jul», Kampanje (26 September 2024)](https://www.kampanje.com/medier/netflix-bekrefter-ny-sesong-av-hjem-til-jul/310237)
8. [Home for Christmas, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81083590)
9. [«Hjem til jul»-regissøren: – Netflix gir store muligheter, Dagsavisen (16 December 2020)](https://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/hjem-til-jul-regissoren-netflix-gir-store-muligheter/7144074)
10. [Home for Christmas – WISE Score & Parent Review, Screenwise](https://screenwiseapp.com/media/home-for-christmas-show)
11. [Home for Christmas (2010), Pandora Film Produktion](https://www.pandorafilm.com/filmography/home-for-christmas.html)
12. [Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, Flicks](https://www.flicks.com.au/movie/hannah-waddingham-home-for-christmas/)
13. [Susan Boyle: Home for Christmas, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-for-christmas-mw0002583480)
14. [Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-for-christmas-mw0002420135)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license