Temperatures are low and days are short, which means Wisconsinites are in the midst of another long, dark and cold winter.
What if this year, instead of just holding out for spring, you could embrace winter and actually enjoy it?
Denmark is farther north on the globe than Wisconsin. By comparison, Copenhagen gets about seven hours of daylight on the winter solstice, compared to the nine hours seen in most of Wisconsin, but Scandinavian countries consistently rank as having the happiest people in the world.
The Danish people in particular get through winter by practicing hygge (pronounced “hue-gah”). It’s a Danish world without a direct English translation, but represents feelings of “coziness” or “pleasant togetherness.” Here are seven tips for bringing some hygge into your home for the Wisconsin winter:
Set the Scene
It’s dark when you go to work or school and it’s dark when you come home at night, so it’s only natural that our first instinct is to turn on as many bright lights as possible to combat the darkness. But hygge practices say you should do the opposite and bring the outdoors in and embrace the darkness by using indirect and smaller sources of light like candles (flame or battery-powered) or lower-wattage bulbs in lamps.
Find Sources of Warmth
You want your home to be a refuge, so make sure you are well stocked in everything cozy. Get out extra warm blankets and soft pillows for snuggling on the couch. Stock the pantry with warm drink options like coffee, tea, cider and cocoa. If you have a fireplace, use it often for both lighting and heat.
Get Comfortable
When you are ready to practice hygge after a long day, make yourself as comfortable as possible. Take a warm bubble bath or a hot shower. Wear baggy sweaters, loose sweatpants and fuzzy socks or slippers.
Treat Yourself
Denmark has been known as a country that consumes more sweets per person than almost any other country in the world. In fact they have a phrase, fredagsslik, which translates to “Friday candy” and is ritually practiced in family homes as part of hygge. So be sure to always have something sweet on hand to boost your winter blues.
Make Time for Togetherness
One of the most important aspects of hygge is spending quality time together with family and friends. While this may be harder to achieve now, families can still carve out special time to enjoy each other’s company within their home.
Some simple ideas for family hygge activities include:
• Build a pillow and blanket fort to watch a movie or read a book.
• Buy craft materials to make something simple together like tie blankets.
• Learn a new board or card game to play by firelight.
• Bake an easy dessert, adding warmth from the oven and creating sweets for later!
Create Anticipation
Oftentimes the joy of anticipation is greater than the actual activity itself. Happiness studies show that not only are people happier when they spend money on experiences instead of things, they’re happier when they dream about what they want to buy long before they get it. For this reason, planning a future vacation to a warm beach location like Florida, California or the Caribbean can create a lot of positive feelings.
Share the Table
One of the most important aspects of hygge is being together and sharing food and conversation without distractions. It’s important to find time to gather loved ones around a shared table and just enjoy the simplicity of each other’s company. If you can’t pull everyone together for warm dinner of soup or stew, a shorter break for a daily after-school cup of tea or cocoa could work just as well.
Remember that hygge is about finding joy in simple things, so you don’t need to go out of your way to plan elaborate meals or spend lots of money on new decor items. It’s really about appreciating life trapped inside on cold winter nights with those you love. By embracing the Wisconsin winter instead of fighting it, you may find more happiness at home.
– Maeghan Nicholson
Maeghan Nicholson is a mom, marketer and travel planner in Madison, Wisconsin. You can follow her family’s adventures on Instagram at @madwiscomom.