10 Ordinary Ways to Celebrate Hygge
The 500 Things Project Ep. 4
hygge (n.) - a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. usually connotes a situation involving candles, warm drinks, soft blankets, and the feeling of safety away from darkness. pronounced "hyoo-gah"
It’s almost the end of January, friends. If you, like me, are feeling a little dreary in the getting-lighter-but-still-very-dark days of winter, may I suggest one of my favorite things: hygge. Today I’m sharing a list of ten ordinary ways to celebrate hygge, but first a story about one of my favorite (made-up) holidays.
In December of 2019, my household wasn’t celebrating Christmas and I was mourning the loss of cozy that usually came along with holiday twinkle lights and the scent of pine. I decided to celebrate Hygge Day, which I used that first year as an excuse to cozy up and decorate my home for winter.
In December of 2020, everything was different (surprise). I lived by myself in a small house on Virginia’s Northern Neck. I got a Christmas tree taller than my ceiling, hung my ornaments and a stocking, and loved every minute of it. I watched all the Christmas movies and drank all the hot cocoa. Then I got mononucleosis for Christmas.
Come January, I needed light and friendship. I needed a Hygge Day, but by now I knew an essential part of hygge goes beyond comfortable physical surroundings. It isn’t complete without the presence of friends.
My closest friends are scattered across the country, but that didn’t stop us from gathering. Enter: the Zoom room, but make it cozy. Everyone prepared their own space by doing whatever felt cozy to them: lighting a candle, making a cup of tea, snuggling up with a blanket. I also asked each person to bring an offering: a poem, song lyric, or quote that reminded them of friendship.
Y’all. Beauty. As we talked about last week, the few times I’ve hosted magic gatherings, the key was asking guests to host by bringing some kind of offering to the table. We traded poems and song lyrics and I couldn’t have been more grateful for the friends I had somehow collected over the years and miles.
10 Ordinary Ways to Celebrate Hygge
Stay in.
Light a candle.
Make a cup of tea. Or coffee. Or hot cocoa.
Snuggle in a blanket.
Make Sunday morning breakfast.
Buy the flowers.
Simmer dinner on the stove all day.
Write in bed.
Actually wear your house slippers.
Do any of these things with a friend.
Happy hygge hunting, everyone. See you next week!
Love,
Amy