bring a little hygge into your life
/February in Vermont is long (despite its length on the calendar) and COLD. Like below-0 windchills cold. So even BC (Before Covid), during winter folks here were tucked inside with chunky blankets and comfy handknit socks, reading by candlelight ... and not just because the power was out again.
Woolen socks became the iconic image for hygge (pronounced hyu-gah)—that Danish word meaning cozy contentment—for good reason. They give your feet a hug, which is where some think the word hygge originated from. But if wool makes you itch and you’re still not grasping this cultural concept that’s found everywhere these days, here are some ways to inject a little hygge into your long winter days:
Fire: If you can’t have one in the fireplace (total hygge—the buttermilk scene from White Christmas comes to mind), try a candle. Even a battery-operated candle conveys warmth and homey-ness, and it’s safer around kids and pets.
Mellow sounds: Whether you fancy soft jazz, deep house, or your housemate’s tinking on the keyboards, see if this music doesn’t slow your breathing and curl you up on the couch. I could play Windham Hill’s A Winter’s Solstice Volume II on repeat from November through March.
A pot on the stove: I’ve been experimenting with one curried lentil recipe after another (gotta use up all those beans I stocked up on last March), but if you prefer takeout consider adding some cinnamon to a pan of simmering water, or trying some seasonal essential oils in your diffuser. Balsam fir, frankincense and sweet orange are my go-tos right now.
A comfy blankie: Weighted, fuzzy, homemade, electric … you’ve got plenty of options here. Go with whatever calls out to you today.
Your warm beverage of choice: I have perfected heating up foamed JOI almond milk low and slow on the stove to top my latte-of-the-day … turmeric-cacao, chai, Teeccino, Crio Bru, or sometimes just plain ole hot chocolate. Whatever your pleasure,—coffee, tea, or something else—it will toast you from the inside out.
Give those a try, and combine them for ultra-hygge-ness. I’m guessing you’ll want to bring hygge into your everyday to help make the remaining winter days a little more tolerable.
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