Hygge.

What The Heck Is Hygge?

Hygge (pronounced “hoo-geh”) is a Danish concept of taking pleasure in everyday things, simplifying life, and creating coziness in the home. It encourages you to savor the good moments and foster meaningful relationships while relaxing and indulging. The word derives from an old Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” and while there is no literal translation in English (the closest is “hug”), it’s a mindset that has helped sustain the people of Denmark through long, chilly winters — Danes rank as one of the happiest people on the planet.

content from Farmer’s Almanac

i pour the boiling water

into the porcelain cup

the steamy comfortable

scent of tea curls up

around my face

my eyes droop slow

a sleepy sense of worth

and music soft and low

caress my weary body

i sip the fragrant tea

and think about the past

what first drew you to me?

            sipping tea from this cup

always makes me remember

the love that you brought

to my lonely November.

-Mary Bubenzer

FIKA

A moment to slow down and enjoy quality time alone, or with friends, usually with a cup of coffee and pastries or sweet treats.

LAGOM

Not too little, not too much. The Perfect balance.

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

is a nice guide to this way of life.

To me, Hygge is a feeling, an atmosphere, a warm drink on a cool Autumn morning, a cat in my lap as I sit knitting. It’s homemade baking and candles and afghans heaped over for a nap. But it’s not just for Autumn and Winter. Hygge can be in a vase of flowers from a garden, fresh produce from a farm stand, a gathering for a picnic on a porch, a letter or a text from an old friend, and time to write or craft or just moodle about. It can be a concert on the square or dancing around the livingroom, just for the joy of it! Hygge is a lifestyle, both interior and exterior.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

by William Butler Yeats

Articles

Hygge Article from The New Yorker! The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy | The New Yorker

And from Country Living! What Is Hygge? How to Enjoy the 'Cozy' Danish Lifestyle in Your Home (countryliving.com)

and The New York Times! Move Over, Marie Kondo: Make Room for the Hygge Hordes - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

And Self! Hygge: What Is It and How to Practice It (I Tried It, and It's the Best Thing Ever) | SELF

and Scandinavia Standard! What is Hygge? Everything You Need to Know (scandinaviastandard.com)