During the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays my family and I watch Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. It’s become quite a little tradition. They are all very similar in nature, but we never really look at them as “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”, even though most of them go as follows: Boy meets girl, but they have other commitments or issues they are dealing with. Then boy and girl fall in love. Then something tears them apart. Then they find each other, usually on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day and live happily ever after. Some might say these movies are corny or cheesy, or they’re all pretty much the same, but there is nothing wrong with the ideal of living happily every after (with daily bumps of course.) In the world we live in, where some days it’s hard to watch the news and see much of it as positive, we like our movie time – as a family, cozied up on the couch with blankets, drinks, pets and popcorn.
Recently, when watching one of these movies, not long ago, I was introduced to the word, “hygge” (pronounced “who-ga”). Basically, hygge is Danish and Norwegian in nature and origin and it refers to coziness, comfort and feelings of wellness and contentment. It is a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality and personal wholeness. It is nice and cozy and feeling safe.
The Collins English Dictionary defines hygge as “a concept, originating in Denmark, creating cozy and convivial (friendly, lively and enjoyable) atmospheres that promote wellbeing.”
There are many other words that have similar meanings to hygge. I have listed a few.
- The Dutch words “gezellig” and “gezelligheid” pertain to comfort and coziness.
- In German “Gemütlichkeit” means the state of warmth, friendliness and belonging.
- The Norwegian adjective “koselig” is used to describe a feeling of warmth, intimacy and getting together in an agreeable environment.
- The Swedish adjective “mysig” describes a pleasant and warm atmosphere of togetherness.
I have fallen in love with the word “hygge,” and although I am not Danish or Norwegian, I am going to do more research on hygge and try to live my life with these concepts at the forefront of my mind.
I recently saw a short clip of John Travolta, where he explained that his young son and he were discussing the fact that Travolta is now in his 60s. (I am not far behind him.) Travolta was talking about how he was entering the last chapter of his life and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it when his young son asked him if he remembered his life 30 years ago and if it seemed like just yesterday or a long time ago. Travolta responded that is seemed like a long time ago to which his son then told him, then if you plan on living another 30 years, you still have a long life to live. I really like that. None of us know how long we will be around and we can’t go back, only forward.
Therefore, I plan to enjoy my life with the ideals of comfort and coziness, warmth and belonging with family and friends. It’s not that my life has been a bummer or anything. On the contrary. I have an amazing family and an incredible group of friends as well as friends I know I have not yet met.
What I am saying is that sometimes minutia and trivial things get in the way and sometimes we all lose track of our priorities. Then, around the holidays we tend to celebrate love, family, friends and togetherness more. We should ALWAYS celebrate and value and make sure that the hustle and bustle of life doesn’t get in the way of our hygge. Have a great day!
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