The Art of Hygge

The literary bible that is the Collins Dictionary, has released the top 10 words of the year. Not surprisingly, Brexit was top of the list and second was Hygge. For those of you who have been studying the interior of a cardboard box for the past few months, hygge is a Danish word which is pronounced “hoogar” and roughly translates as “cosiness”.

After reading the Daily Mail’s interpretation of the word, I thought I would do what everyone else in the world does when they need to find the real explanation of a word; I asked Google. The Oracle conveniently directed me to www.visitdenmark.co.uk which I knew would explain hygge in a slightly more concise manner than the DM.

Basically hygge means “creating a nice, warm atmosphere and enjoying the things in life with good people around you. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Friends and Family – that’s hygge too. And let’s not forget the eating and drinking – preferably sitting around a table for hours on end discussing the big and small things in life”.

I much preferred this explanation as the Daily Mail had described hygge as “cosiness with knobs on” and then given me a recipe for hot chocolate.

I’ve been enjoying hygge for years. I just didn’t know there was an actual word for it. Back in the day BB (Before Britney (not her real name)) and before I met Other Half, me and my friends practiced hygge most weekends. We used to call it “drinking” but I now know it’s actually called hygge. Nothing makes you sit around a table for hours on end discussing the big and small things in life, like 2 bottles of wine a piece and several gin & tonics. Chuck in some local scandal and you will find that the conversation really can go on for hours on end because no-one can remember what was said earlier in the evening.

The house I lived in back then (The Von Trapp Bottle Bank), had no central heating which meant we would sit in my lounge with a roaring coal fire, swathed in huge fleecy blankets and apparently that’s hygge too. This hygge malarkey can become a bit of a way of life and even in the current house I still like a fleecy blanket. As soon as I pull it over my legs it’s like putting the cover on the canary; I am asleep in seconds.

When I think about it, The Von Trapp Bottle Bank has actually set me up rather well because I have the most amazing money saving tendencies during the winter. It is always Other Half who suggests turning the heating on because by the time October is upon us, I have completely forgotten that our house is centrally heated. When I am working from home, I think it is completely normal to sit at my desk wearing a hat and coat.

Anyway, back at The Von Trapp Bottle Bank, we would light candles as it was cheaper than turning on the lights and hey presto; that’s hygge too. If I’d known about hygge back then, I would have renamed my home “Hygge House”.

Apparently the time of year when Hygge is enjoyed the most is at Christmas and that’s not really surprising when you think that Danish winters are long and dark. Unwittingly, I have practiced hygge throughout the festive season for years. This is because Christmas in Northumberland means we are either blocked in by snow or are enduring torrential rain and everyone stays inside.

But hygge can be also be a Summer thing with “picnics in the park, barbeques with friends and bike rides can also be very hygge”. Oh my lord, I was born to be Hygge. In the Daily Mail article it does suggest that the “three wheel cargo bike with a big box at the front to carry anything from shopping to children” is a bit more Hygge than my mountain bike. But the cargo bike is £1,095 and frankly I would rather buy a car which would mean I could get home in less time and thus get back underneath my blanket as quickly as possible.

So Denmark, I want to thank you.

Up until now all you had ever given us was the pop group Aqua and Lego. And I would much rather have Hygge than a rendition of Barbie Girl and tiny piece of plastic that causes such immense pain when you stand on it.