Do You Know what Hygge Is?

I have been seeing a lot of articles and ads for ‘Hygge’ lately. Not knowing what it was, I decided to check it out and it turns out hygge is a really great thing. Pronounced Hoo-guh, hygge is a Danish word to describe a feeling, a way of being. There is no easy way to translate it but it comes down to a feeling and a way of living that keeps you at the moment. It is cozy, and intimate with the people you are with and your surroundings.

Hygge was created by the Danes to counteract the dark, cold, and very long winters. The New Yorker defines hygge as: “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” What a great goal for the new year, to get hygge with it! After the holidays, the cold winters can definitely seem daunting, and getting back into the humdrum of daily life can be less than easy after a whirlwind of holiday cheer.  January can often feel lonely and empty after a full December. This is the perfect time to learn and get into hygge.

The great news is hygge doesn’t cost anything. It seems to border on meditation, being in the moment, self-care, atmosphere, and inner peace. It can be anything from brewing a cup of tea at night and watching the flames of a fire or relishing a dinner with friends in a warm home. It’s practicing gratitude and kindness with strangers and with ourselves.

So don’t suffer your way through the rest of winter. Get Hygge with it! Treat yourself to some candlelight, a good book, a warm woolly blanket.

Wishing you a cozy, and present new year,

Liv Fagerholm