Hygge Through the Winter

Everybody’s whining about the winter.  Granted, it is cold.  And everybody knows I’m no fan of cold.  But there are some really great things about winter:  Fires in fireplaces.  Basketball (for people who love that).  The beauty and hush of falling snow.  Winter Olympics.  Hot chocolate. Snow days and the extra time that brings to work on a project.  Reading.  People staying home so there’s more family time.  No humidity and sweating.  No grass to mow. More bugs die the colder it gets.

Last year, my friend Sara Matheny introduced me to the concept of hygge.  Wikipedia defines hygge as “a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.”  This article explains it succinctly. You could also read The Little Book of Hygge.  The Danes and Norwegians practice hygge because they have such long, dark winters.  Since Sara and her family moved to St. Louis from Africa, the transition from high heat to cold winters was a challenge for her family.  This is from her blog:

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life explains, ”Rather than fight the long, dark winters we've learned how to embrace the cold, how to prepare for it, and how to find joy in being indoors when it's miserable outside."  

I figure if the Nordics can make it through five months of cold darkness, I can do the Midwestern version.  From the Nordics I learned thriving in winter is all about cozy spaces, lots of candles, and friends and family gathering together.  Pouring into a pile of books makes me a happy winter hermit.

I, like Sara, am determined to make the best of this season.  I love having friends and family over to eat or play games.  I love watching movies and reading.  I love a snow day.  And I love how winter clothes cover you totally up so you don’t have to worry about sunscreen or swimsuits.  

So there may be hard days – I may struggle every day – but I’ve resolved to implement hygge and to use it as a gift of God, a way to “give thanks in all circumstances” (I Thessalonians 5:18).