“Hygge” is the newest cool experience, according to Pinterest, the Washington Post, and just about every other site I’ve been reading. If you haven’t run across it yet, it’s a Danish word meaning coziness, more or less. (It’s pronounced “HOO-gah”.)
Apparently, the word is used constantly in Denmark, which has about 8 months a year of weather that calls for a lot of hygge. Practiced properly, it encompasses your space, your people, and your intention. “A conducive environment is key to experiencing hygge,” says Danish ambassador Lars Gert Lose.
Yesterday was a good day to create hygge. I had both Jotul stoves going, all the lights on in the house, and a soup simmering on the stove. These began as an effort to at least start off warm and with something hot to eat when the power would go off, which was a highly likely possibility given the howling wind and thunder snow.
Then I decided it would be a good idea to soak in a hot bath – before the power went off. And after, in my warmest flannels, check in with all my friends, inviting over everyone who had already lost power. If I weren’t so hyper about work obligations, I definitely would have curled up with a good book.
