Reduce Christmas stress: This is how Christmas flowers help you find Christmas peace

When the winter darkness sets in and the cold kicks in, many people like to fill their home with live flowers that add some color to their everyday life. According to Swedish research, it may also be wise to reduce the stress that comes with the Christmas season: "Studies show that indoor plants increase well-being, provide more joy, help us stress less, and promote social cohesion," as Patrik Grahn, professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, previously stated to the Swedish industry magazine Blomsterfrämjandet. The positive effect of nature on how we humans feel is not an unknown phenomenon. Grahn has been researching the connection between plants and health since the mid-1980s, and has revealed that people who spend time in nature experience lower stress levels and increased well-being. Now it turns out that even small gardens and indoor potted plants can have the same positive impact on health. "Research from China and Japan has also shown that people have lower blood pressure and reduced cortisol levels if they surround themselves with indoor plants,” Grahn tells Blomsterfrämjandet.

That different plants and flowers help us relax is good news for the time of year we are entering. Christmas flowers have long traditions in Norwegian homes, and when we really want to get into the Christmas spirit, it is still the poinsettia that reigns supreme as the people's favorite. This is shown in Plantasjen's annual plant trend report. - There are few Christmas flowers in Norwegian homes that can compete with the classic red poinsettia. However, if you still want a little modernization, both the poinsettia and several other classics are available in new forms and colors. This year, the poinsettia comes in orange and lime, says Vibeke Næss, press contact at Plantasjen. The amaryllis has made a little leap on Plantasjen's top list, surpassing the classic hyacinth. - The popularity varies among the classics so there is a little rearranging of ranks, but we see that Norwegians are still traditional in their choices of plants and flowers for Christmas. Perhaps Norwegians' love for traditional flowers has something to do with them unconsciously noticing that their pulse calms down when surrounded by the delightful scent of freshly bloomed hyacinths? Næss rhetorically asks.