If the title throws you off, perhaps it’s the pronunciation. Once you get it, it kind of rhymes along.
Should ya hygee (hu-gah)? Or is koselig (koosh-lee) the key? These 2 terms have been floating around and gaining popularity the past few years. They are all over Pinterest and although you’re probably more familiar with hygee (Danish), koselig (Norwegian) is very similar in theory.
Loosely defined, they both mean cozy, comfy, happy, self aware and self care. Read: do what makes you happy, what brings you peace, enjoy the quiet slow down from your hectic life, take a moment to be truly thankful for what you have.
Just be present.
Hygee by definition is “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).” – Google Dictionary
Koselig is harder to find an exact definition. The closest explanation I can find “a way of capturing everything comforting and wholesome”. Yep, alright that will do!
Either way both terms invoke a sense of contentment, pleasure, joy and a blissful state of mind.
Do not be swayed by all the fancy pictures you see on Pinterest. You do not need a $100 large cable knitted blanket to be warm and cuddly. You do not need to do all the 29 suggestions on the list to make it work. And you certainly do not need to spend time and money on making an Instagram worthy scenario!
Just dial things back a bit. Use what you have. Enjoy your surroundings.
Here’s what I do
I love cranking up the coziness with a lot of candles. Turn those bright lights down or off, friends, and open a nice bottle of wine. Because my Husband is the much better cook on Myers Acre, I always find contentment watching him do his thing in the kitchen. OK, the lights are on in there while he cooks 🙂
Then we dive in and enjoy dinner and a little nibble of something sweet. This can be a good piece of chocolate or slice of cinnamon coffee cake. Nothing out of control, just a bite or two. To round out the evening we watch a movie on the Fire Stick by candlelight under some cozy blankets while the dogs snooze.
On the evening in the above picture we had just finished taking down all of the Christmas decor. Two trees were cut down outside, one topped off and a stump out front was ground down. It was bitter cold outside all day, the wind was blowing and it felt like we would never stop working. After a shower I came downstairs to find this comforting peacefulness. Our home was full of the enticing aroma of dinner, the lights were turned down and there was good music playing on the Echo.
For the record, this made me fall in love with my Husband even more!
Here’s what you should do
You do not need to follow my ways to hygee or koselig. Just be sure that you are finding peace and happiness in your surroundings. Turn the world off for an evening and read a book or make hot chocolate from scratch. Heck, do some laundry if that calms you. If it does, come on over, I’ve got plenty of calmness for you!
I’m a firm believer in going “off grid” for a bit. Put the phone down, leave the laptop downstairs on the desk. Close the shutters that face the front road.
And just enjoy the moment and your surroundings.
So, should ya hygee or is koselig your key? What ways do you do it? I’d love to hear about it!
