Now that we’re in the midst of winter, we can all use some help keeping cozy at home and in life.
One recent trend that can help is the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hue-guh). Hygge doesn’t have a direct English translation, but it is essentially a feeling of coziness, comfort, happiness and connection with others. So how can we get a little more hygge in our lives? The New Westminster Public Library has the books to get you started.
The book that started the craze: The Little Book of Hygge, by Meik Wiking, explains that this concept has made the Danes the happiest people in the world. It gives practical tips on becoming more hygge, including choosing the right lighting, socializing and even dressing, backed up by Wiking’s years of research at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.
Marie Tourell Søderberg’s Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness will help you spot the hygge-rich moments we understand instinctively but might fail to take the time to enjoy. Hygge happens, but it takes practice to remember to savour those moments. This guide will help you recognize hygge in your everyday life, and help create those delicious little but important moments.
Louisa Thomsen Brits’ The Book of Hygge is a small, very portable book. Each chapter covers a different element of the concept: belonging, shelter, comfort, well-being, simplicity and observance. Using proverbs, advice and explanations, it is a peaceful book that relaxes the mind and centres it on the elements of the hygge concept, in an effort to help instill happiness and relaxation in the reader.
Finally, we get to food! The book Scandikitchen: Fika & Hygge will give you recipes for “comforting cakes and bakes from Scandinavia with love.” Hygge implies being together with loved ones. What better way to hide from the cold together than with some comforting, homemade baked goods?
With the right atmosphere and company, a chilly winter’s evening can be a cozy celebration of the present. Come to the library to check these books out.
