Life’s Little Things brings you Hygge. (Something we all need right now.)

Hygge? What on earth is hygge I hear you ask? Well let Life’s Little Things paint you a little picture…

I love winter. Wrapping up in jumpers, scarfs, hats, and gloves. Going for a lovely walk in the winter sun. Blowing the cobwebs away in the cold, crisp, cleansing air. I like staying out just long enough for the tips of my fingers and toes to go cold. Then the best bit, walking through the front door of my home. The warmth of the heating washes over me like a warm bath. The smell of something delicious in the slow cooker hits me and I warm up on the inside at just the thought of eating it! There are also those wet and windy winter days where I snuggle up on the sofa with my loved ones. Dressed in my comfy clothes and fluffy socks, watching the rain on the windows. A hot chocolate in hand and the living room bathed in the warm glow of lamps and candles.

So what is hygge?!

A warm and cosy space, comforting food, good company, hot drinks. All these things generate a warm glow right in my core. They make me feel happy, cosy and contented. Did you know that there is a word for that feeling? It’s Hygge! (Pronounced hoo-ga.) It comes from the Danish way of life, where people surround themselves with simple things that brings them the most comfort and contentment. Denmark has very cold and very dark winters, yet is ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world! They must know what they are doing!

Hygge is not about material items bringing us happiness, it is about creating happiness from the most simple things like the food we eat, the company we keep and a cosy setting. It is about turning off your phones and tablets and being present in the moment to see, smell and really feel what is all around you. In a time when we can’t hug our loved ones and friends, I think we all need a little hygge. Hygge can be slightly different for everyone and interpreted in your own way. Everyone has different things that makes them feel happy after all.

To me, Hygge is about home

It is about what is within my 4 walls, the comforts as well as the people. We have very busy lives and barely stop during the week. With homeschooling, looking after a toddler, working, chores, home improvements etc. So I do try my best to make Sundays, our most peaceful day of the week, as hygge as I can. Last Sunday was no exception. A very delicious lamb stew bubbled away in the slow cooker all day. Unlike most of the country, we unfortunately didn’t get any snow (snow would have been sooooooo hygge!!) but we still played in the garden and got all chilly. After a lovely warm bath for the kids, we tucked into the stew, which certainly warmed us up. I love belly warmer dinners, the ones that you can still feel all warm inside your tummy for ages after. After tea, we shut the curtains, turned on the lamps, fairylights and lit some candles. A wax melt filled the room with the scent of Main Street Bakery in Walt Disney World (warm cookies!!!). Then all 4 of us snuggled up on the sofa under a blanket and watched ‘The Snail and The Whale’ together before it was time for the kids to go to bed. This is always my very favourite part of the week, when we just all stop and are present and have time to appreciate what we have.

Choose Hygge

The outside world feels like the complete opposite of hygge at the moment. It is all about staying away from people. It is sterile and cold with rubber gloves and masks and news reports glowing white with hospital lights. All these things need to be happening in the world right now to help keep us all as safe as possible and to help stop the spread of the virus. We don’t have any choice in that. Where we do have a choice though is within our own home.

Treat yourself to some hygge time this week. It doesn’t have to be big, after all, here at Life’s Little Things it’s all about the little things in life. Treat yourself to your favourite comforting meal when you next go shopping, your favourite sweet treat or get some of your favourite hot drink. Snuggle up on the sofa and watch your favourite tv programme, a film, read a book. Take a deep breath, smile and forget all about the world outside.

At the end of the film Trainspotting there is the famous ‘Choose Life’ monologue. Well, I have come up with one of my own. Choose good food, choose good company (socially distanced where necessary until allowed otherwise!), choose blankets, choose cushions, choose candles, choose cosy, choose comfy, choose hygge!

The most hygge time of year is Christmas, so I will definitely be bringing you a little more hygge later on in the year. Until next time, you can check out my previous blog posts (Welcome to Life’s Little Things and A little bit about me) or check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for posts during the week.

Take care!

Jem X