Hygge, pronounced “hoo-guh” is a Danish word that derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console.” It is related to the English word “hug.” Hygge expresses the importance of coziness and comfort and engenders a feeling of well-being or contentment.
Helen Russell, author of “The Year of Living Danishly,” explains hygee as “taking pleasure in the presence of gentle, soothing things,” like a freshly brewed cup of coffee and cashmere socks. To the contrary, in his book Travel as a Political Act, Rick Steves writes that hygge “is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things.” He continues, “It’s about being with the people we love–the feeling that we are safe, shielded from the world, and can let our guard down.”
Flickering light can be an important element of hygge. According to Meik Wiking, the author of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets To Happy Living, and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, when Danes are asked what they most associate with hygge, 85 percent say candles.
In this winter season when grey skies, barren trees, and cold winds create a melancholy environment for Danes and many others, seeking out a little hygge could mitigate the onset of occasional glumness or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Moreover, hygee could even turn that frown upside down into a smile as people could come to appreciate the present circumstances for what they are, embrace them, and complement them.
I recently attended an investment and trading conference at the Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Most of the speakers had flown down from Chicago. Each one began his or her presentation by expressing jubilation from being in Scottsdale in February where the sky was bursting with sun, the air was warm, and guests at the resort could enjoy the pool. The visiting Chicagoans bemoaned the below freezing temperatures back home. For a few days, at least, they could thaw out.
My hope and belief is that these Chicagoans enjoyed their Scottsdale sojourn, and likewise they will enjoy being home, again. Chicago in the winter would be a wonderful place to accept the season for what it is, embrace it, and get some hygge going on. Whether hygge will involve comfort food, warm drinks, a crackling fire, a thick blanket, comfortable pajamas; whether the emphasis will be on things or the experience or a combination of the two; and whether hygee will be alone or with others, the point is to find coziness and contentedness and to be at peace.
May peace be upon you wherever you are.
–P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present
Relevant links:
The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy, by Anna Altman for The New Yorker
I Practiced Hygge and It’s Kind of the Best Thing Ever, by Anne Roderique-Jones for SELF
Travel as a Political Act, by Rick Steves
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets To Happy Living, by Meik Wiking
The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Arizona