Okay, not really. I’m not Danish at all. But I have been hearing a lot about a Danish concept recently. I’ve seen a bunch of articles all about hygge, the concept of well-being/cozy/social/friendly/warm-ness that is a central part of Danish culture, particularly in the winter. The more definitions of hygge that I read make me think this isn’t just a strategy for getting through long, cold winters… it’s a way of life (this is the best definition of hygge I’ve read). And it sounds a lot like how I live my life (prioritizing time spent with friends and family, warmth, comfort, art, good food, drink, conversation, etc). Now I really want to go to Denmark and experience hygge first-hand.
[the blurry photos above are from an evening spent with my best friends, in the yurt at the Ceili Cottage in the middle of winter. It doesn’t get much more hygge than that]