What is 'hygge'? It's simple, down home, cozy, good old-fashioned happy. It's a term from the Danish who are considered to be some of the happiest people on earth according to my research and Wikipedia.

Hygge (pronounced hoo-guh and closely resembles the word hug!) means safe, secure, snug, cozy. Do you love getting cozy, but always feel a little guilty like me? Well I’m learning and loving this so take a minute here to consider hygge? We live in a fast paced world, do we dare curl up with a blanket and hot cocoa, good music and maybe even a book? (gasp)

Turns out all that old-fashioned coziness is so good for our soul that it can be the key to happiness, reduced stress, and a healthier life. So dare to revel in your hygge! The Danish, after all, evolved their hygge because they needed to get happily through a long dark winter, so there are centuries of experience backing this up!

Ever since I stumbled on the concept in a book (The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking) I've been googling and Pinteresting (not sure if that's a word) and embracing this idea and turns out there's a ton of information to be found.

There's a beautiful thing about this that leads us down a country road, turns back to a simpler time and keeps the home-fires burning. The more we allow ourselves to cozy up in a safe, secure place, than it follows that we can move out into our lives with a core sense of peace and stability. In this modern world, what could we possibly need more to combat our stress?

So build some unapologetic hygge ambience  into your life, your home, your office and your world. One of the keys the Danish lean on is the importance of careful lighting.

Lots of smaller softly lit lamps and lights around the room are way more relaxing and comforting than a glaring light in the middle of the ceiling. 

Hygge ideas include wonderful things like candle light, fireplaces, campfires, hot cocoa, cozy knit socks, soft blankets, pillows and throws on a sofa, a chair, or even a window seat. It's slow-cooking, stews and fresh baked anything. Board games and time with family and friends brings this around to a very good happy place to be.

Now...once you've got your hygge rolling... how much do you want to be in the moment and savor? They call this mindful. Everyone's trying to figure out how to get mindful. This hygge path leads us there, so I love it.

Savor life, let it wrap you up in a wonderful hug. It's perfect for holiday gift giving. May you find peace in the season. Think about adding some more hygge into your life.

 

 

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