The Danish Have The Right Attitude - Embrace Hygge

This post is dedicated to my Danish Friend Astrid.

Hygge what the hell does that mean? Well for a start it is Danish and I am not even sure I can pronounce it right. Then why is it my favourite word? Well it is what this word means that I really like. Hygge closest translation is to English is I guess “snugness”. Hygge is all to do with uplifting oneself up through the winter gloom/darkness with small pleasures such as sitting in front of an open fire, warming yourself up with a brandy, in a nice warm café drinking hot-chocolate with your friends and other simple delights. There just isn’t an English word that works.

Anyone knows me will know that I hate cold weather, snow, and long dark grey days. In England we all know about SAD (seasonal affected disorder) that we don’t get enough daylight and that apparently makes us unhappy. We get all sorts of all wacky new age ideas like using light boxes to make sure we get enough simulated natural light to remain happy.

Well hearing about Hygge has mad me think about the winter months in a different light. I still hate being cold but maybe we should look in the positive aspects to being cold (yes I know that being cold in England isn’t like other places like Canada where it is probably -108 degrees centigrade now) like hanging out with friends in a nice warm bar drinking warming ports and brandy or making thick homemade soups (I do love pumpkin soup).

This sort of way of thinking kept our ancestors sane I guess when they didn’t have things like central heating and outdoor toilet. In modern times we don’t have that much to worry about and we should all stop complain about cold weather (It will be hard to change a whole lifetimes character trait).

Let’s all put on some warm clothes, call a mate, go to a nice warm café and order a big mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and embrace “Hygge” (If your in nice warm Australia reading this………..I am not jealous anymore I have Hygge)!

Have A Good Weekend Guys.

Cheers

Neil