What is a Hygge Holiday?
Hygge Tips for Winter Holidays will open a new world for you – a world of warmth, affection, comfort and well-being.
Hygge, pronounced (Hue-gah or Hoo-gah) is a Danish word originally derived from an Old Norwegian word meaning well-being and protection from the outside elements.
Denmark has cold, long winters. In January and February the temperatures range just above freezing. In December the days are quite short with the sun setting around 3 PM. The weather tends to be cloudy. The concept of hygge has been used by Danish people to help mentally combat the dark winter season and fill their homes with lots of comfort and lots of love.
Hygge is a word that is so important to Danish people; it’s often used to describe what their culture is all about. Hygge is not necessarily something specific that you can buy, because it’s more of a feeling than a possession. Hygge really is the epitome of Danish living, and in the last five years the concept of hygge has made its way to the US and many other countries with extreme popularity and trendiness.
Hygge can widely be described as a feeling of coziness, comfort, familiarity, love, laughter and seasonal homemade food and drinks. Although it’s possible to achieve hygge any time of the year (an outdoor BBQ with friends or a movie under the stars with family are perfectly good examples of summertime hygge), hygge is generally associated with winter because of it’s ability to uplift spirits during dark, long winter months.
The following hygge tips are yours to make your home and life cozy, warm and loving.
“In brief, hygge is about taking time away from the daily rush to be together with people you care about – or even by yourself – to relax and enjoy life’s quieter pleasures.
The word hygge dates back to around 1800, at least in the meaning it has today. However, various definitions of hygge can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where a similar Old Norse word meant “protected from the outside world.”
Hygge is often about informal time together with family or close friends. Typically, the setting is at home or another quiet location, or perhaps a picnic during the summer months. It usually involves sharing a meal and wine or beer, or hot chocolate and a bowl of candy if children are included. There is no agenda. You celebrate the small joys of life, or maybe discuss deeper topics. It is an opportunity to unwind and take things slow. “
Wise Words
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
Hygge is perfect for the winter holiday season because it’s all about peaceful, cozy surroundings that fill you with the feeling of contentment and love for others. Whatever you celebrate from December to March there are simple hygge tips that will bring holiday hygge into your home. Here are a few:
Host family and friends. The holidays bring so many opportunities to host get-togethers for your loved ones. Be sure not to stress over these gatherings. Hygge parties are relaxed, friendly and homey.
Warm lighting. In order to achieve a great sense of hygge, be sure to light some candles, have a fire or set up string lights. Warm lightning is essential for a holiday hygge vibe.
Cozy linens, blankets and textures. Get out all of those soft, fluffy blankets and have them available on the couch or chairs and by the windows, so that you can easily cuddle up with your favorite book or person and relax. Perhaps one of those Scandinavian crime mysteries, or your significant other.
Home cooking and baking. Cooking some classically homey holiday meals and treats will help bring holiday hygge into your home. Comfort foods like holiday ham, stews, savory flatbreads, cookies, or cinnamon apple pie will waft soul-warming scents throughout the air, making your home feel cozy and cared for.
Holiday hygge is easy and comforting. Most people are already including at least some of these simple holiday hygge traditions without even knowing it. To make your hygge better, combine the different cozy practices for a maximum effect. Now that you know about the historical name for that warm and fuzzy experience, you will want to augment your holiday hygge comfort even further. Who wouldn’t want to feel all that comfort and love?
Wise Words
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Romans 12:10
A Hygge Traditional Outing
The nature of the holiday season provides so many fun and satisfying hygge opportunities. From cooking or baking family recipes, to holiday movies, there are many and various hygge tips to achieve that cozy hygge feeling we long for, especially during the holidays.
One seasonal activity that many people cherish is picking out and cutting down a Christmas tree. There’s really nothing else that feels more like the holiday spirit than cutting down your own tree with family or friends, and afterward, having fun decorating it while you all bake cookies and sip hot chocolate.
Maybe you live in an area where the traditional holiday fir tree grows in abundance and you are able to go and pick one out easily. If not, thanks to the growing hygge movement; cut-your-own-tree farms are increasingly popular. Chances are there is one within driving distance from your home.
Once you have a plan of where you will cut the tree down, it’s time to gather up your buddies or family. Get dressed in your holiday flannels, jeans and boots and head to the tree farm. Remember to bring a few warm blankets or scarves to help you all stay cozy. Decide as a group what shape tree will work best in your home. Have fun cutting it down together and strapping it to the top of your car to make the drive with your tree back home.
If you are not able to cut a tree, you can make a special occasion of picking out a tree from a garden center or tree stand. I love to see tree stands in December illuminated with lights as I drive around my town. It’s just a warm and cheery sight of the season.
Once you and your holiday tree arrive home, decorating it as a group is definitely part of the hygge experience. Wrap the tree with warm colored lights and home-made decorations. A perfectly decorated tree is not the goal of this tradition, rather a tree that is put up with love, laughter and great memories.
More hygge tips include these: light some candles around your home, add in some freshly baked holiday cookies, hot cocoa, and maybe some of your favorite holiday music. One of my favorite parts of this family holiday activity is that it is an annual tradition. Making memories by selecting a tree and decorating it with family or friends really adds to the holiday fun and the feeling of hygge, and it sets the tone for a warm and loving holiday season.
A Hygge Home Smells Wonderful
As humans, our sense of smell plays a large role in our everyday lives, whether we realize it or not. Scents have the ability to change our mood and change how we interact with others. Scents even play a large role in our ability to recall memories. In fact, studies find that scent is so closely linked to memory that people can remember a scent with 65% accuracy after one year, where visual memory drops to nearly 50% after only a few months.
Maybe it’s the smell of your mom’s cooking or a certain flower or a perfume; certain scents can bring you right back to a memory as if it happened just yesterday. Scents have the ability to change our mood. You can use scents to your advantage to spike your hygge holiday spirit and make your home smell amazing.
Here are some hygge tips for wonderful aromas:
Scented candles are a wonderful way to make your home look and smell festive and inviting for the holiday season. Having lit candles around your home will most definitely add to your hygge vibe. The warm glow will make rooms feel cozy and comfortable.
Almost all stores sell scented candles these days, but for higher quality scents, get your candles at a store that sells candles exclusively. If you have a local candle maker near you, even better! Scents like warm vanilla, cinnamon apple, sugar plum and peppermint are some holiday favorites.
Another way to make your home smell amazing for the holidays is with fresh greenery. Use of a freshly cut fir tree, a fresh wreath or some branches from an aromatic evergreen are great ways to keep your hygge home smelling and feeling joyful.
If fresh trees and branches are not naturally available in your area, check with some of the home improvement stores. Look for some of the best smelling evergreens, which are the Scotch pine, Douglas fir, white spruce and Noble fir trees.
Last, but not least, baking homemade holiday treats always keeps your home filled with sweet and savory scents. Not only is baking and cooking seasonal treats a perfect hygge activity, it ensures your home smells good, naturally.
If you have any traditional holiday family recipes, those will work great. Or, start a sweet smelling traditional recipe of your own with your loved ones. No matter which route you take, keep your home smelling festive for a relaxing hygge holiday.
Hygge Tips for Comfort Foods in the Cold Winter Months
There are certain foods that tend to soothe and comfort us, especially around the winter months. Comfort foods like stews, casseroles, pot pies, homemade breads and baked goods bring a sense of well-being and can elevate mood, especially on a long and cold winter day. Curling up by the fire with a warm mug of soup and a cozy blanket can transform your day just like that. So, breakout the slow cooker and settle in for a hygge winter filled with comfort foods and treats.
Baking and cooking are a big part of the hygge mentality, especially when done with family and close friends. Keeping traditions alive using old family recipes are a hygge favorite. Just the thought of putting Great Grandma’s apple-cinnamon pie recipe to use gives a warm and fuzzy feeling. And to be able to pass on these recipes by teaching your children how to make them when they are older and have families, is so satisfying.
Establishing traditional family recipes of your own is also a fun holiday hygge activity. Decide together what type of comfort food you all would like to learn to make. Pot pies are a big favorite in the winter months. Follow a recipe and add in a few touches of your own. Hand-write the recipe afterward and keep it in a safe place for next year.
One idea is to use a designated box to store all of your traditional, comfort food recipes. Each year, you and your family will look forward to breaking out the recipe box, remaking your favorite comfort foods and adding in new ones.
Hygge holidays are even better when comfort foods are used to spread the holiday cheer. Gifting your favorite homemade holiday treats will surely bring a smile to anyone’s face. Cookies, pies and holiday fudge are all great choices for gift giving. Wrap them up in some festive cellophane for transport and add in a handwritten card of well wishes.
Comfort meals are also a very thoughtful gift, especially when given to a friend or loved one who leads a super busy lifestyle or just needs some help with meals. What a better gift than to not have to worry about what to make for dinner that night? Comfort foods like lasagna, soups and casseroles tend to travel well and reheat with ease. Holiday cheer is always enriched with gracious gift giving.
Hygge Gifts Will Spread the Joy
Gift giving is one the most fulfilling aspects of the holiday season. You might like some hygge tips for gifting.
Generally, people will think of the joy in receiving a special gift for the holidays. But being the giver of a meaningful gift can be even more gratifying. Great gifts are really more about the thoughtful intention behind them, than the actual gift itself. A holiday hygge gift is well thought out and might include something homemade or something cozy for the home.
Embracing the spirit of gift giving should start with thinking about the person you are giving to. Look into their interests and hobbies. Really think about what makes them happy. Listen for any mentions of clues as you interact with them. Ask mutual friends or family if you’re still stuck.
Once you are ready to shop, try locally-owned stores and artisanal shops when looking for a great gift, as these tend to have more unique finds. Some may even have homemade gifts or art from local artists. While you are in the store remember to keep focused on the preferences of the receiver, not your own, and keep an open mind.
Wrapping your special gift is nearly as important as the gift is. The wrapping is the presentation of your gift, so it should be neat and festive. Here are some hygge tips for decorating your gift. Some ideas for hygge gift wrapping might be a natural-looking and cute cardboard box or wrapping paper with snow, birds or nature on it. You could even get creative and use a knit stocking or something seasonal to put your gift in.
Ideas for gifts that encompass the hygge concept are many. Winter hygge is all about the feeling of coziness and warmth. So, it’s no surprise that gifts for the home are at the top of the list. Textiles such as blankets, throws and pillows make great gifts. Warm lighting is key in a hygge home, so things like candles and tea light lanterns also make the perfect present too.
Seasonal food and drinks embrace the hygge lifestyle as well. Putting together a hot cocoa kit is a wonderful idea for your chocolate-loving friend. Contrive the sweet gift, using a thoughtful mug, a small decorative spoon and some cocoa mix. Or you could put together the ingredients for your most favorite cookie recipe, wrap them in a basket and include the handwritten recipe and a note.
The ideas are endless when it comes to spreading the holiday love through hygge gift giving. After all, it’s far more joyful to give than receive.
Wise Words
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Keep the Hygge going
Once you have arrived in the new year, keep the hygge going. The cold months are still ahead so stay warm and cozy with your hygge lifestyle. Continue to snuggle under thick warm covers, light fires in your fireplace and/or light lots of candles. Keep creating warm and healthy foods with great aromas. Heat cider and cinnamon in a pot on your stove often. Share love. Invite family and friends over for simple get-togethers. Start a book club with your friends. Write hand-written notes and send them in the mail now and then.
If you are a busy person (and who is not?) don’t worry. Ease some of these activities into your schedule when you can. You may find over time that this will become easier, and well worth the adjustment.
Make Valentines Day a Hygge Celebration
Valentines Day is a holiday where you can express romantic love, friendship, and family togetherness, using hygge.
Send lots of valentines. Make homemade messages if possible.
Bring in branches from outside and create a Valentine tree with heart ornaments quickly made out of paper; also add some fairy lights.
Give your pet a special V-day toy.
Gather with friends for a warm dinner and make a red velvet cake (or purchase one). These are just a few hygge tips. Use your imagination.
Wise Words
Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.
—Leo Tolstoy
New Winter Holidays for Hygge Happiness
Make up your own winter holidays just for the fun of it. And celebrate hygge every day and enjoy the warmth of winter!
Happy hyggeing!
