It can be many things. The smell of coffee in the morning. The crackling of the fire place on a cold day. Playing board games with your friends at the kitchen table. Burning candles at home. Drinking a hot chocolate in a cute and cozy cafe. All things that the Danish consider to be hygge.

Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) is a Danish word that is a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, everyday moments more meaningful, beautiful or special – hyggehouse.com

A hot cup of tea is more hygge than a glass of champagne. A snowy day is more hygge than a day spend in an exotic resort. Winter is probably the most hygge time of the year. Hygge doesn’t necessarily have to cost anything, nor does it have to be social or something unique. It’s actually more of the opposite. It’s all about daily life, about making a moment cozy, special, meaningful. You can make your house hygge. It can feel hyggelig when you’re out on a nature walk with your dog in the snow. The Danish, creators of hygge, even have different types of hygge. We especially love søndagshygge, which is hygge on a Sunday. A slow Sunday, filled with cups of tea, books, music, blankets and maybe even a nice walk. That’s our kind of Sunday!

What we love about hygge

The world can be dark, the weather can be cold, life can be hard, but there are always ways to make life more beautiful, more meaningful. It’s not just about your actions, it’s also about your mindset. An evening home alone when it’s cold and dark outside might sound awful, but when you put on your favourite oversized sweater, dim the lights, burn some candles, put on some Christmas music and start reading a book on the couch… it’s like a completely different world. And that’s the magic of hygge. Add some snowflakes falling from the sky and a perfect hyggelig night has been created!

Hygge, to us, feels like the big sister of That Sunday Feeling. Trying to transform everyday moments into something special. The Danish have got this all figured out. For example, they burn loads and loads of candles to make every room feel cozy. Hygge is part of their culture, of their day to day life. We’d like it to be ours too.

Make it hyggelig

I know, doesn’t hygge sound like the perfect thing to try this winter? We’ve gathered some ideas below for you to get started.

• burning candles throughout the house
• organising a movie night with friends/family
• playing boardgames
• doing some crafting at the kitchen table
• dancing to your Christmas music playlist
• sitting by the fire
• fluffy socks and blankets
• drinking a hot chocolate in the most cozy café around
• a getaway to the countryside
• watching the snow fall down
• drinking coffee and reading the paper
• roasting marshmallows
• baking or cooking some comfort food

There is much more to say and learn about hygge. We found The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well very inspiring. You can get this lovely book here. Reading it, cuddled up on the couch underneath a blanket seems pretty hygge to us! Enjoy!