Have you heard the word, "hygge"? It's pronounced HUE-guh and is the Danish word the emcompasses the feeling of cozy, charming, or special. I've been pinning posts on Pinterest and thought I would share my own little slice of winter hygge.
It was unusually cold in my area last week and we even had some unexpected snow accumulation of 1-2"...a very rare occurence. So I thought it was a good time to use my new word, Hygge, and see what I could do with it. Hygge makes the winter more bearable.
Hygge is similar to the German concept of
gemütlichkeit and the Dutch idea of
gezelligheid. It has been a key part of Danish culture since the early 1800s when the word first appeared in the written language (it's derived from a Norwegian word for "well-being").
The Danes also attach hygge to other words such as
hyggekrog which is essentially a nook where you can get cozy as in a window seat where you can wrap yourself up in a blanket and watch the world go by or your favorite armchair where you do all of your reading.
So what's considered hygge? Candles, first and foremost, glowing fireplaces, warm throws, anything knitted such as sweaters and socks, mug of your beverage of choice incuding coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc., books, furry companions real or stuffed, comfort food such as hearty soups, stews, chili, chicken pot pie, grilled cheese/tomato soup, gooey pastries, and we can't leave out bacon! It's basically remembering to appreciate the simple things that bring joy to your life.
So my books of choice today are by one of my favorite author/artists, Susan Branch. Susan Branch is the self-taught artist and author of the fourteen (so far) best-selling "Heart of the Home" lifestyle BOOKS all published by Little Brown and Company. From her studio overlooking her picket-fence garden in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Susan writes and paints about the "home arts" of cooking, gardening, sewing, family, best friends, entertaining and the little things that make life sweet. So fitting for the hygge lifestyle, don't you think? Her followers are called "girlfriends."
To find out more about Susan Branch, see my "Links I Like" on the right. Be sure to click on the Shopping tab to find "Free Stuff" you can download and print. To follow my Pinterest board on hygge, click on the "Follow me on Pinterest" link to the right (until my hyperlilnks start working) where you can find out much more about the wonderful art of hygge.
It was unusually cold in my area last week and we even had some unexpected snow accumulation of 1-2"...a very rare occurence. So I thought it was a good time to use my new word, Hygge, and see what I could do with it. Hygge makes the winter more bearable.
