How to hygge your home for the holidays
Hygge (pronounced hue-guh) is the Danish word which means coziness, enjoying simple pleasures, or creating intimacy with others or with yourself. It's a difficult word to define because hygge is a feeling, an emotion. It's the closest concept I've found to our simple pleasures posts, and probably why I love hygge so much. Hygge is part of the Danish culture, and a major protective factor against seasonal depression that can so easily happen in the dead of winter. Read more about how to apply hygge in the wintertime here.
The holidays are the perfect time for hygge! In fact, there’s no better time than the holidays for hygge since all of the wonderful holiday traditions, the cold weather, the sweaters, and the food just scream cozy contentment! Hygge is about creating simple, thoughtful, meaningful moments and then being present to experience them. It’s about cultivating that contentment and safety for yourself through special experiences. Below are my tips to hygge up your home for the holiday season:
Candles
There’s nothing more romantic and more hygge than candlelight. Lighting little tea candles around the room, burning a lovely winter scented candle, or turning on bundles of those battery powered faux candles is the perfect way to hygge your space up. I also love twinkle lights and Christmas tree lights. Light them during rainy days, and dark evenings. Try spending the evenings with only your Christmas tree lights on. Bring in more candles into your space to make your home feel truly special and to help you embrace the dark days of the winter season.
Bring Nature Indoors
Bring in greenery from outdoors. Plants in general make a space feel more alive but during the holidays, snippets of juniper, pine, fir, and eucalyptus can be magical. Drape your greenery over a shelf or along a stair banister and place a few of those candles throughout your display to complete the vibe. Bringing in greenery that you’ve foraged from yards, or during a hike is even more hygge as it doesn’t cost you any more money.
Keep it Simple
Remember hygge is about simple pleasures. It’s not about luxury, so over the top decorations, overly ornate is not aligned with hygge. The good news is that less is actually more. Get a simple Christmas tree and adorn it with simple but beautiful and meaningful ornaments. Wrap your gifts with simple wrapping paper, perhaps with little gift tags and a sprig of greenery tied in. Keep the colors minimal as well. Our house is decorated in all muted, natural colors with white walls, and wood floors so we love to use white Christmas lights on our tree and glass ornaments with a little sparkle.
Bring in Cozy Textiles
Textiles truly contribute to the overall feel of your home so sprinkle hygge fabrics throughout your home. Knit blankets, soft throw pillow, shearling or faux shearling rugs, faux fur, wool and cashmere are all great fabrics to incorporate into your home. You can even bring these textiles into your wardrobe with cozy sweaters, knit hats and scarves, plush robes, and fuzzy socks or shearling slippers. Having a morning coffee snuggled under a blanket makes the entire experience so much more hygge. Bonus points if you light a candle as well.
Embrace the Handmade
Hygge is also about the art of slow living. I know that holidays can seem a bit frantic but slowing down is what can create that hygge vibe. Slow down and make some of your holiday decorations. Check out my post on diy hygge Christmas decorations here. Bake some delicious treats, sit down with Christmas music to wrap your presents, or make some homemade gifts. Handmade items fill the home with love created by the time you spend making or baking something.
Hygge your home up for the holidays! There’s no better time to embrace the cold dark winter and create some special moments inside your little (or bit) home. The above tips will change the way your home feels, and hopefully bring a little more joy, a little more contentment, and a little more cozy into your everyday life.