I found the word Hygge on a Grand Marais website. I was attracted to it before I knew what it was. Y paired with GG looked like waves when I wrote it in cursive. I just had to Google the meaning.
“Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) is a Danish word that is a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, everyday moments more meaningful, beautiful or special. Hygge is being aware of a good moment whether it’s simple or special.”
I bought two books on the subject and decided to implement this theory into my life as often as possible throughout 2017.
Here is my take away from reading those: If you are enjoying a good book, add a cup of tea. While having dinner with your family break out the candles. Put away the cell phones and dig out the board games. Add butter to that fresh-baked bread. Buy plants, just because they are pretty and welcoming. Look for joy in all things. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Buy less, reuse more. Knit!
Watch comedies that are truly funny. Scrub everything clean. Feed the birds. Buy special gifts for friends, just because you know it will make them smile.
And to top it all off…buy less! I just read an article that the average American home has 300,000 items. I thought this was ludicrous until I opened my junk drawer and started counting the odds and ends I keep in there. We have lots of “stuff.” Now when I shop I think, do I need it? (I know it’s 70 percent off on holiday ribbon but will I find it next Christmas?) To end this ridiculous cycle, we have to stop bringing it in. Hygge is about enjoying what is truly important in life, people, occasions, moments, and small pleasures.
Hygge happens when we commit to the pleasure of the
present moment in its simplicity. It’s there in the small
rituals and gestures we undertake to give everyday life
value and meaning, that comfort us, make us feel at
home, rooted and generous.
Louisa Thompson Brits
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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