If this video showed you something new, give it a thumbs up. It helps keep my mother's knowledge alive.

Most of us spend whole weekends up the ladder every December: new lights, more garland, an inflatable reindeer on the lawn. Then we stand back and the house looks bright and busy, but it doesn't feel like Christmas. It isn't your fault. In this video I share the Norwegian Christmas decorating rules that make a home feel warm, calm and glowing all season long.

Find out why Norwegians never use blinking lights, why they decorate the windows instead of the roof, the simple materials they hang on the tree instead of plastic, the one thing every ornament should have, and why a Norwegian tree is mostly red and white. These are the ways Norwegian families have decorated for generations to make Christmas something you feel, not just something you look at.

No ladders and no big budget, just a few simple rules, the way my Norwegian mother taught me.