I find it kind of amusing that all over Blogland these days folks are embracing the Danish art of Hygge.
Meanwhile, I've been doing exactly that my entire adult life.
Hygge, despite my blog title, does not rhyme with Jiggy - rather, it is pronounced hue-gah and does not have a specific English translation.
In my opinion, it simply means creating a cozy, warm, welcoming life and home.
I found the following definition online, and this sums it up perfectly for me.
"In essence, hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Friends and family – that’s hygge too."
You can accomplish the art of Hygge right where you live today. There's no need to wait for the 'perfect' home - you can create the perfect Hygge home right where you live at this very moment.
Embrace the winter months. Enjoy looking out at the cold and snow, while you know you are warm and cozy inside.
Make a pot of tea. Wrap your hands around the warm mug, breathe in the aroma of your favorite hot beverage.
Sink your hands into a sink of warm, fragrant bubbles. Enjoy the experience of washing up after a nurturing meal.
Light the candles - what are you saving them for? I light my candles every night. I enjoy the flickering candlelight and the fragrant aroma, and it's part of my coming home ritual every evening, to trim the wicks and light the candles.
Turn on those little lamps, turn off the fluorescents when you're not in task mode. Set the tone for a peaceful evening.
Sit in your comfortable chair, put your feet up. Relax. Enjoy the home you have worked so hard to create.
Look around at the home you have made. Really see it. Enjoy it.
Do the same in the mornings. Take a moment before the busy day begins to cherish the cozy home you have made.
Live in the moment. Enjoy the life and home you have now.
And don't forget to cherish those that you love.
That's the simplicity of Hygge.
I do think that there is a lot of hype over the Hygge this year. You nailed it perfectly in the first couple of sentences. It is what you have been doing your whole adult life. Actually, I think it is what all of us that live in cold climates do when cool weather sets in....we warm up our surroundings with throws, more textures and wintry scents. It is an innate capacity for "nesting' that we humans have. So, next year it will be a new buzzword but we will all continue with our own style of hygge--with or without using the term.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful upcoming weekend. xo Diana
We truly are 'nesters' aren't we, Diana? We truly enjoy the art of 'keeping home' and cherish taking care of our home and the folks we love!
Deleteyou are so getting hygge with it, mom.
ReplyDeletelove you, hahaha! and your pretty flowers.
Love you right back, sweet baby girl!! xoxo
DeleteYour definition of Hygge is exactly what I love about your home. It is cozy looking and inviting. I love the comment from your daughter...and your reply. We love our girls, don't we? Blessings , xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteWe do love our girls, Susie - they are our whole life! xo
DeleteI so agree with you - I don't know why this is such a popular term all of a sudden! Claudia from Mockingbird Hill Cottage was talking about this just the other day on her blog, too. The photos of your home at night look so cozy, I just want to dive right in and curl up on your sofa by the fireplace. I'll have a cocktail while you're at it. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOOh what fun, what time can you be here?? :)
DeleteLike you, I've been doing that for years. Just never had a name for it! :-) Even after all these years, I go back to two of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors...Emilie Barnes. Her two books "Welcome Home" and "The Spirit of Loveliness" are my go to reference books when I want to add a little something else to my home. Love your photos! Love and hugs and hygge! :-)
ReplyDeleteOk, I'm heading over to Amazon to check out those books now, you're going to cost me $$$ sweet friend!! :)
DeleteAs much as we northerners like to complain about the cold, I think we all secretly love to slip into our yoga pants and hibernate in our nice cozy homes in the evenings. A good meal cooking in the kitchen and candles on the table sounds good to me!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head there, Vickie!
DeleteAll your pictures show how warm, cosy and inviting is your home. It looks like the perfect place to relax and to wait patiently for spring to come.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting patiently right now, I'll be a little more anxious in April when we still have snow on the ground!
DeleteThis is the first time I have seen this term. We've been doing warm and cozy for a long time without this name. Love your pictures of your cozy nest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carole, I love my cozy little nest!! Yes, I only became aware of this term this year, yet now I'm seeing it everywhere!
DeleteI think you are so right, the word may be new to us, but the concept describes a way that many of us have been living for years. Clearly, you have in your gorgeously cozy home. xo
ReplyDeleteAs have you, Kim, in your amazingly cozy cottage!
DeleteSorta brings out the meaning of a "Hug" .
ReplyDelete:)
Lisa
Ha ha, cute, Lisa!! It's like my house gives me hugs when I go home each day!!
DeleteYour cozy mountain home is the epitome of hygge!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
As is your cozy patio apartment, Brenda!! :)
DeleteWhen I first say the definition of this word, like you I thought, this is how my husband and I have been living since we got married in 1969.
ReplyDeleteIt is something instinctively done from our hearts, even if on a shoe string budget. There are always ways to make our space comforting, cozy and filled with love.
Your home has wonderful charm.
Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady
So true, Lorraine, and no doubt Plum Cottage is also the ultimate Hygge home!
DeleteWell thank you for this post, because now I know that I have been living hygge most of my life also!
ReplyDeleteWhy knew, right? Ha ha, you learn something new every year!
DeleteI've only heard this term from you but I like what it represents! Your home is all cozy and friendly and says home. Don't we all want that? Thank you so much for popping in to see me and hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelai ;)
I'm shocked you haven't seen it all over blogland, Shelia! That's where it first caught my eye, and I was so surprised to find out there was another word to describe....COZY! :)
DeleteYour home looks so peaceful. I am glad that you really enjoy it. Nancy
ReplyDeleteI truly do, Nancy. At the end of the evening, when all is quiet, I love just sitting in my little chair by the fire and enjoying my cozy space!
DeleteYes, you are so right, Hygge is what most of us have actually been doing all of our lives. Only now someone has found a word that makes it all seem new again.
ReplyDeleteYour home is truly lovely and cozy looking. I hope mine is, I think it is, because I certainly enjoy it.
Good post!
I think we all put so much time and love into our homes and we truly love our simple homes! Thanks for your visit, Cindy!
DeleteWhat a nice warm and cozy post :) I first read about this a month or so ago ( I think at Brendas' Cozy Little House blog) and got so interested that I spent half of a morning researching Denmark... :)
ReplyDeleteDid you find out anything about Denmark to persuade you to take a trip, Deb? :)
DeleteI agree.. I've never heard of the term, and I'm Danish by heritage, lol! And yet, like Diana said, its what we women like to do in our homes to make them feel cozy and comforting for our family. Your home is so cozy and inviting :) Loved all your pictures!
ReplyDeleteIt's bizarre how different terms come to light every now and again! 2017 is the year of Hygge!
DeleteI had never heard of this term either but I am finally glad to know that there is an actual name for how we live. :) I love how your home is so cozy and inviting. I can just imagine you curled up with a cup of tea (or cocktail), under a cozy throw with Monkey by your side warming yourselves in front of a crackling fire while you read. I hope that did not sound creepy. LOL! As for mine, we have a bit more of a "cluttered cozy" feel to it. Out home is small and filled with things that we love and reflect our lives just as your's does for you. :) Currently, my Caesar dog is happily laying on an old folded quilt on the floor in the living room literally taking up about 1/4th of the floor space. He is too big for even the largest dog bed. Doofy cat is snuggled up in a fleece throw and I'm sitting here in the cozy soft recliner that my mom gave me under a soft throw that my sweet hanai sister Shannon gave me after my surgery a few years back. I have a loaded large toy box to my left with toys scattered on the top of it since the grandsons were here earlier today and there is a fire just starting in the pellet stove in the corner. Meanwhile, it is snowing outside and I am perfectly content sitting here in my soft flannel nightgown just appreciating all that I am blessed with. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are so much alike, Debbie, and not just in name only! I often sit in my comfy chair by the fire and look around and thank God for all the goodness he has blessed me with in my life!
Delete