For a lot of us, this time of year involves frigid temperatures, dry air, feet of snow, and sparse sunshine. Chances are that you cope with this by bundling up and spending more time indoors than you do in warm-weather months. For some this is a welcome season, but for others (arguably most), it’s something to be endured until Spring arrives. This winter, the word hygge has been floating around the Internet and shaking all this up.
What is hygge? The Oxford Dictionary describes hygge as the following:

hygge: [noun] A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being
Basically, hygge is a Danish-word about embracing and making the most of this season of life. It’s cold and dark out? Get cozy, cuddle up, and enjoy the chance to rest and unwind.

My word for 2017 is mindfulness, and I think hygge is the perfect way to practice living in the moment in the winter. 2016 was wonderful, but truly chaotic. In 2017 I’m trying to be more mindful of my time, my limits, and my stress-levels. The winter is the perfect opportunity to pare down your schedule, slow down your life, and just be.

How to Hygge

Embracing hygge is different for everyone, but for me it means making my home my sanctuary. Home is my safe space, where I go to recharge my batteries, and seek calmness, comfort, and love. I do this with the help of the five things below.

1. Candles

Candles are incredible at transforming a room and putting a person into a calm and meditative state. I’ve recently become obsessed with candles and went down the rabbit hole researching the best for fragrance, throw, and safety. That’s a post for another day, but for now I’ll say that my absolute favorites are Harlem Candle Co. and Cire Trudon.

2. Coffee

It’s funny that as a kid I can remember hating the taste of coffee because now I absolutely love it. I drink it black, and multiple times throughout the day. I start off with full-strength in the morning and work my way to decaf at night. I drink it slow and savor every sip. My love of coffee has led to a pretty intense mug collection that Josh is constantly trying to get me to stop adding to. My favorites are this one, this one, and this one. They’re all from Anthropologie. That store can do no wrong when it comes to mugs. I also just picked this one up at Bed Bath and Beyond. It’s half the price of the Anthro mugs, ginormous, and personalized by state. So fun!

3. Cozy PJs

I live for PJs. Getting home and changing into PJs is the transition for me from work to relaxation. I’m shedding my worries and stresses of the day, getting comfortable, and focusing on myself for the next few hours. There are so many cute PJ options out there but some of my personal favorites right now are this set, these sweats, and these bras from Nordstrom.

4. Warm blankets

Comfy blankets are not in the literal definition of hygge, but I’m pretty sure you can’t experience true hygge without enveloping yourself in soft blankets.  These are especially welcome now that I’ve been taking barre classes on the regular and my body is sore all over. My favorites are oversized, chunky, and a shade of cream or grey. Two on my personal wishlist are this one from UGG (so soft!) and this one from Anthropologie.

5. Good books

Hygge is about more to me than the setting I create and how it makes me feel. It’s what I do with myself in that wonderful space I’ve created to renew and refresh me. A lot of times it’s a nap. Or a long talk with Josh. Sometimes it’s a glass of wine.

One of my absolute favorite ways to practice hygge is with a book. Few things give me quite the sense of adventure as cracking open a new book. I love that books spark my imagination, challenge my beliefs, and let me discover new worlds. I’m hoping to gain some new perspective on the current state of American affairs with this book. For those looking for more escapism reads I recently finished this one and this one and loved them both.

Questions of the Day: Have you practiced hygge before? What are your favorite ways to embrace hygge? Are your pets a big a fan of hygge as Punkin is?