Snow settles gently over Oslo, muffling the city in a soft December glow, and somewhere in the middle of that stillness Johanne is about to face a Christmas unlike any she’s ever known. After nearly five years of waiting, Home for Christmas – the Norwegian holiday series that became an international comfort watch – is finally returning with a brand-new season. And this time, Netflix isn’t just revisiting old memories; it’s rewriting Johanne’s future.
Season 3 arrives on December 12, 2025, bringing back the cozy warmth, sharp humor, and unexpected emotional punches that turned the show into one of Netflix’s most cherished holiday hits. Early details hint at a version of Johanne we’ve never seen before – older, wiser, bruised by heartbreak, and stepping into the uncertain magic of beginning again.
As fans across the U.S. rediscover the series each winter, its return has already sparked a wave of excitement on social media and in December preview lists, where many call it one of Netflix’s most relatable and heartfelt Christmas shows. This new chapter promises deeper relationships, bigger themes, and the bittersweet honesty that made the original seasons resonate around the world. The trailer is at the end of the article.
For long-time viewers, this comeback feels almost unreal. When the second season of Home for Christmas dropped in 2020, many assumed Johanne’s story had quietly ended, left to live on as a cult favorite in Netflix’s festive catalog. Instead, the series has been quietly gathering new fans every year, as more subscribers discover its perfectly balanced mix of romance, awkwardness, and emotional truth.
Now, Netflix is officially bringing it back into the spotlight. Season 3 not only rewards loyal viewers who have been waiting since 2019, but also invites first-time audiences to binge the first two seasons and arrive ready for Johanne’s most transformative Christmas yet.
What is Home for Christmas Season 3 about?
Season 3 picks up five years after the events of Season 2. Johanne is now 35, months removed from her breakup with Jonas. She doesn’t have a boyfriend, but she does have a life that feels overwhelmingly full: she supports her siblings, takes care of her lonely father, and has stepped into a new leadership role at work. To keep the silence at bay, she stays busy – maybe too busy.
When she finally throws herself back into the dating world, Johanne quickly realizes that something fundamental has shifted. The rules of romance seem different, the stakes feel higher, and the casual chaos that once defined her love life doesn’t fit as easily as it used to. The question hanging over the season isn’t just whether she’ll find someone new, but whether she still wants the same vision of love she spent the last decade chasing.
You might also like ► The Snow Sister: Netflix’s magical Christmas tale from Norway
Beneath the jokes, dates, and disasters lies a larger emotional thread: has Johanne herself changed more than she’s willing to admit? The heartbreak with Jonas left scars, and Season 3 leans into that vulnerability. The show explores what it means to start again when you’re a little older, a little more guarded, but still unable to completely give up on the idea of love.
Visually, the series stays true to its trademark Scandinavian atmosphere: narrow streets glazed with snow, Christmas markets glowing under strings of lights, and intimate interiors where family secrets and late-night confessions collide. That contrast between cozy surroundings and complicated feelings is what made the first two seasons stand out – and it’s very much alive in this new chapter.
Behind the camera, creator Per-Olav Sørensen returns, joined by director Aurora Gossé, ensuring that Season 3 keeps the same tonal balance that made Home for Christmas Netflix’s standout Nordic holiday romance. Across six new episodes, they deepen Johanne’s world without losing the lightness and humor that made viewers fall in love with it in the first place.
Home for Christmas cast: the main characters
Ida Elise Broch once again leads the series as Johanne, delivering what early buzz suggests may be her most layered performance yet in the role. In the first two seasons, Broch captured the chaos of modern dating – the awkward dinners, the misread signals, the desperate holiday deadlines – with a mix of sharp timing and raw vulnerability. In Season 3, she brings a new weariness and maturity to Johanne, portraying a woman who has learned from heartbreak but refuses to let it harden her completely.
Gabrielle Susanne Solheim Leithaug returns as Jørgunn, Johanne’s loud, loving, and often hilariously unfiltered best friend. Jørgunn has always been the show’s most chaotic source of comic relief, but she also grounds the story in a believable portrait of female friendship – the kind that will drag you out for a drink, tell you the hard truths, and stand by you when everything falls apart.
Felix Sandman, familiar to many Netflix viewers from Quicksand, reprises his role as Jonas. Their relationship was at the center of Season 2’s emotional climax, and Season 3 explores the aftershocks: what happens when the person who once felt like “the one” becomes part of your past, but never fully leaves your mind. Sandman’s quiet intensity gives Jonas a depth that keeps viewers guessing about how – or if – he fits into Johanne’s future.
The ensemble around them remains one of the show’s greatest strengths. Dennis Storhøi returns as Johanne’s father, bringing warmth and fragility to a man trying to redefine his own life in the shadow of loneliness. Anette Hoff, Helga Guren, Hege Schøyen, Christian Ruud Kallum, and other familiar faces also come back, ensuring that Season 3 feels like a true homecoming rather than a soft reboot.
Together, this cast has helped Home for Christmas earn its reputation as Netflix’s most emotionally honest Christmas show – one where the punchlines hit hard, but the quiet moments hit even harder.
Release date on Netflix USA and expected impact
The release on Netflix is set for December 12, 2025, streaming worldwide, including Netflix USA. Positioned right in the heart of the holiday window, Season 3 is expected to slot directly into Netflix’s Christmas hub, alongside the platform’s biggest seasonal titles. With many December preview lists already highlighting it as a must-watch, there is every chance it will quickly become one of the most talked-about festive series of the year.
All the key details about Home for Christmas Season 3
- Title: Home for Christmas
- Original title: Hjem til jul
- Genre: Romantic dramedy / Holiday romance
- Country of production: Norway
- Year of release (Season 3): 2025
- Directed by: Per-Olav Sørensen, Aurora Gossé
- Main cast: Ida Elise Broch, Gabrielle Susanne Solheim Leithaug, Felix Sandman, Dennis Storhøi, Anette Hoff, Helga Guren, Hege Schøyen, Christian Ruud Kallum
- Based on: Original concept
- Produced by: The Oslo Company
- Release date on Netflix (global, including USA): December 12, 2025
- Number of episodes (Season 3): 6 (approx. 30 minutes each)
► WATCH ON NETFLIX: Home for Christmas
At its core, Home for Christmas has never been about finding the perfect partner before the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve. It has always been about something more complicated and more honest: learning to live with your own imperfections, forgiving the people who hurt you, and daring to hope again even when you know how much that hope can cost.
Season 3 looks set to honor that spirit. Whether Johanne ends up with someone new, reconnects with a person from her past, or simply discovers a kinder way to live with herself, this new chapter promises to leave viewers with the kind of lingering warmth – and ache – that stays with you long after the decorations come down.
Watch the trailer for Home for Christmas Season 3
In the meantime, here’s the official trailer teasing the atmosphere and characters of Season 3, giving viewers a first look at Johanne’s new chapter and the emotional stakes of a Christmas spent trying to move on without giving up on love.
