What exactly is hygge? Well, we have had many had long family conversations about what constitutes hygge, and after 6 glasses of aquavit and some herring we often conclude that by attempting to define you break the spirit of it.
Hygge isn’t an interior design concept, or a stylish accessory, it’s more of a feeling. That kind of cosiness inside that comes from lighting a fire when you return from a freezing winter’s walk. A lit candle on the table when there is no power cut. Fairy lights all year round and a dash of rum in your hot chocolate when you first wear your new pyjamas. Good food shared with friends and family. Turning every day experiences into little pleasures. Maximising joy from tiny moments. It actually fits in very well with the practise of mindfulness, where one brings one’s awareness of the world in from all your cares and worries down into this instant.
Although all Scandinavians have developed their own coping mechanisms for managing the long, dark Northern winters, it is only the Danes who have hygge, and possibly this is the reason they are consistently voted as one of the happiest nations on earth. Don’t think of it as something just to embrace in winter though, even in high summer one can be “hyggelig,” with picnics on the beach, star-gazing with a flask of chocolate or lazy evenings spent in the garden with friends. So snuggle up on the sofa with a coffee, and browse all the beautiful ideas we have to help you hygge up your life.
