The Holidays, Hygge, and Hibernation
About a year ago, I read The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell. It was the first time I had heard of the Danish concept of hygge. Defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being”, hygge sounded to me, like a more formalized version of my own personal coping mechanism for winter. I had always just called it hibernation.
I am a moderate sort of person. I do not like extremes. I especially do not like extreme temperatures. I love fall weather. The brisk fall air coupled with warm sunshine and the smell of burning wood makes my heart soar. Bonfires, marshmallows, piles of leaves to jump in, Halloween, and high school football games do something special for my soul. But as soon as November rolls around and bitterly cold rains starts falling (cue Guns N’ Roses) I start practicing my own form of hygge. Spoiler alert, it involves many hot baths and ridiculous amounts of time spent under a fuzzy blanket on my living room couch.
I like to stay in a state of semi-hibernation until around March, when much like a wary ground hog, I’ll make shorts trips outside to see if it’s safe to emerge from my winter den. Here is a brief overview of my hygge/hibernation strategy.
