Hygge, pronounced “Hue-gah,” is a Danish word originally derived from the Old Norwegian word that translates to the meaning of wellbeing and protection from the outside elements. Denmark is known for its long, cold winters. The Danish people have used the concept of hygge to help them cope with their excruciatingly long and dark winter season and fill their homes with comfort and joy.
Hygge is not something you can learn “how to” do. It’s a term that describes the culture of Danish people. You cannot buy it or design it. It’s more of a feeling. This is the epitome of Danish living, but it’s now a trend in the United States and some other countries in the last few years.
‘Tis The Season
Hygge is all about coziness, comfort, friendship, and surrounding yourself with love and laughter. Seasonal homemade food and drinks are an important part of the tradition. Some other ways to hygge would be to listen to soft, relaxing music. Snuggle under a warm blanket and read a good book while drinking a hot cup of tea.
While hygge is usually associated with colder months, you can carry on the traditional all year through the different seasons. In the spring, hygge might mean garden parties with lots of flowers, light colors, and hanging out in a cafe on rainy days. Summertime hygge could look like backyard BBQs with friends, eating ice cream and strawberries, a day at the park or the beach. Autumn hygge looks like old-fashioned apple cake, cinnamon, drinking your favorite warm drink, bonfires, and cozy sweaters. It’s a prelude to the long winter hygge.
Denmark is cold and windy in the winter season, so there is a big focus on warmth. Drinking hot chocolate, coffee, and tea, candles, warm wool blankets, and staying in with friends is what everyone likes to do. Since hygge is a favorite part of the cold winter season, the winter holidays really kick hygge up a notch! Since hygge means peaceful and comforting surroundings that fill you with feelings of contentment, the holidays are the perfect way to implement hygge.
How To Have A Hygge Holiday
The first thing you must do to have a hygge holiday is to get your home ready for all of the cozy festivities! Remember not to stress,” but to keep the focus on peace, comfort, and joy. Your home doesn’t have to be perfectly clean and tidy, but make it feel warm, comfortable, and inviting. Create cozy corners in a few of your rooms. Invite your loved ones to sit and enjoy a snack and drink. Drape warm blankets of various soft textures on your furniture, in baskets by the couch, or anywhere easily accessible. Set out plenty of candles, and use your fireplace if you have one. Use any type of warm lighting, even twinkling white lights strung throughout the rooms of your home.
As you decorate your home for the holidays, be as festive as possible! Pick out a large fragrant real Christmas tree if you can! Part of the holiday magic is the peaceful smell of pine floating in the air, after all. Decorate the tree with your favorite ornaments and twinkling lights strung around it. Turn on the tree lights as soon as the sun goes down and enjoy sitting and looking at the cozy lights on the tree as you relax in the evening.
Home-cooked meals and baked goods are a hygge holiday staple. Traditional holiday meals and treats that people enjoy with their hygge holiday would be a holiday ham, stews, savory flatbreads, cookies, cakes, cinnamon apple pies, and those warm, sweet beverages of your choice.
Host your family and friends for low-key, cozy hangouts. The point is not to stress and make a big production out of a formal dinner. It’s all about togetherness, being relaxed, and enjoying the laughter. In Denmark, it’s customary to invite anyone who would otherwise be alone for Christmas to join you and your family.
Hygge Leads To Happiness
The Scandinavian concept of hygge is to lift sunken spirits. Despite their long, dreary winters, the Scandinavian countries have the happiest people! A World Happiness Report showed places like Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and the Netherlands as the happiest people in the world! The relaxed, peaceful, and comforting way of their lifestyle probably has a lot to do with that!
When you are tempted to feel frazzled by all of the shopping, cooking, and planning, stop and remember the hygge way of living this holiday season. Let go of the pressure and stress you usually feel during this time of year. You probably already do a lot of the hygge holiday traditions. But do you ever stop and just enjoy the cozy, peaceful feeling of it all? If not, I would challenge you to bring more hygge traditions into your holidays and experience that comfort and joy that Christmas carolers often sing about!