We have reached the end of January and I seem to be in the minority. I have seen many people posting about how the month appears to have been endless and how glad they are that it is finally over. (I wonder if these people have been doing dry January!) But, for me, it is as if it has flown by.
There were so many things I was going to do in January to be ready to ‘have at’ 2018, organised and with full force. Despite being full-on busy, the to-do list does not seem to have diminished much.
It is February that I find more of a drag. The monotonous grey continues, feeling as if we haven’t seen the sun for a ridiculously long time, spring has not yet fully struck out and nothing really happens in this boring month.
It is for this reason, I am happy that I have joined the ‘hygge’ brigade. (Rather late, I am sure. I have never really been one to be up-to-speed on trends, although- did you know that it will apparently be llamas 
superseding unicorns as the hot fashion this year? Expect to see someone clad in llama pyjamas slouching around your local supermarket soon.)
Hygge (pronounced somewhere between ‘hue ga’ and ‘hoo gah’) is a Scandinavian word, originally a Norwegian term for ‘well-being’ but which has been vigorously adopted by the Danish and now conveys, not so much a singular word, but a feeling, a concept of a way of living. It describes the feeling of being cosy, content, comfortable and at peace with the world; finding the joy in the simple, every-day things in life. Sharing moments of happiness with others or on your own.
Although the Danes have taken this concept and run with it, to an extent, I think it’s something most of us do, or understand subconsciously. For example; imagine a miserable grey day where the rain is lashing at the windows and the clouds are heavy and dark. Now, picture yourself holding a warm drink in your hands, snuggling under a blanket on the sofa and re-watching a favourite film, or reading an old friend of a book. This feeling of warmth and cosiness and making a moment of happiness for yourself, is hygge.
While there is generally a consensus of ‘hygge-like’ things, activities, food, drinks and more; hygge is, in essence, personal. For some, dining alfresco with friends on a summer evening with lanterns lit and sharing food would be a perfect moment of hygge, but for others, it could be that a solitary bracing beach walk in the dead of winter, watching foamy waves crash onto stony beaches, is what brings them their moment of wonder and calm.
One of the things I like about hygge is that it is not a restrictive, prescriptive and stringent set of rules. It is not about saying no (as so many diets and ‘improve your life’ plans are – which very often just makes people miserable and feel as if they have failed or are failing if they don’t come up to the mark with their fitness tracker, weight loss plan or extreme minimising). Hygge is more about saying yes and fully embracing that choice. You know what – you can have a piece of cake and what’s more – you are allowed to enjoy it! You can stop for half an hour and just read or listen to music – it’s okay to take a bit of time out for yourself. Hygge is about having a home that is not perfect and cleaned and cleared to within an inch of impossibility, but is filled with an inviting atmosphere of joy and welcome.
As I write this it is absolutely pelting it down with rain outside and the temperatures are set to drop. It looks as if February will be starting cold, wet and dreary – the perfect time, I think, to set hygge into action.
Crack out the chunky knitwear, make yourself a hot chocolate and overload it with marshmallows, play board games with friends, knit or read under a soft blanket, share food, share thoughts, watch trees bend in the wind feel the smoothness of sea-rounded pebbles on the beach: whatever you do this February, I hope you make some time for a hygge moment or two.
