It’s a dreary month, no question, but the Nordic countries have something they call “hygge”, a Danish word defined in English as “A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” (thank you, Oxford Living Dictionary) I think the idea is to make up for the lack of light outdoors by creating light and warmth indoors. Candlelight, firelight (where available) and Christmas lights help create hygge. Also, the enticing smells of baking, spices, lavender sachets, scented candles, chicken soup on the stove or any other smells you enjoy can help create that cosiness. A large number of throw pillows are in order when I imagine hygge for some reason, and comfy chairs to curl up on with your pet, preferably with knitting in hand and tea beside you.
Oh, yes, knitting or crafting of some sort must be an important element in creating hygge. Can’t hibernate without my knitting.
As I look around my living room I’m trying to imagine what I could do to create more hygge. Maybe it’s time to drag the Christmas lights up from the basement and hang some across the front windows; buy some candles, or those fake ones that run on batteries (but then I think how wasteful those things are, eventually going into landfills everywhere, so, no), maybe culling some of the extra items we’ve collected over the years and creating more breathing room. Yes, there are lots of things I could do to make this month more bearable, and to embrace the semi-hibernation we Northerners are forced to adopt. As the temperature is about to drop to -12C tomorrow, maybe it’s time to defy winter and the November blues by creating a welcoming, cosy space indoors.
Imagine yourself curled up comfortably with someone waiting on you hand and foot like Blossom Dearie expects in this song, Peel me a Grape. Enjoy!
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