hyg·ge
/ˈh(y)o͞oɡə,ˈho͝oɡə/
noun
a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).
In the words of Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge - Danish Secrets To Happy Living...
"Hygge has been called everything from "the art of creating intimacy," "coziness of the soul," and "the absence of annoyance," to "taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things," "cozy togetherness," and my personal favorite, "cocoa by candlelight."
Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down. You may be having an endless conversation about the small or big things in life - or just be comfortable in each other's silent company - or simply just be by yourself enjoying a cup of tea.
One December just before Christmas, I was spending the weekend with some friends at an old cabin. The shortest day of the year was brightened by a blanket of snow covering the surrounding landscape. When the sun set, around four in the afternoon, we would not see it again for seventeen hours, and we headed inside to get the fire going.
We were all tired after hiking and were half asleep, sitting in a semicircle around the fireplace in the cabin, wearing big sweaters and woolen socks. The only sounds you could hear were the stew boiling, the sparks from the fireplace, and someone having a sip of mulled wine. Then one of my friends broke the silence.
"Could this be any more hygge?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yes," one of the women said after a moment, "If there was a storm raging outside."
And so this begins a chronicle of 'How to Hygge in Your Home'... stay tuned for the latest on creating the Hygge coziness and presence in your home.
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