It’s a Hygge Day in SC

By Jillian Owens 

Winter has always been my enemy. Bothersome extra layers of clothing, shortened days that leave me in vitamin D-devoid funk, and feeling like I’m physically incapable of warming back up after being outdoors for even a moment are just a shard of the iceberg.

Mrrrphrrrrmphrrrmph!

My hatred for winter is well known by my friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who will listen to me gripe about it. I hate being cold. Every year I dread it and the inexplicable months-long sadness I can never seem to shake until that first magical day when temperatures return to a blissful 70 degrees.

This winter is different.

This winter I have a secret weapon I’m going to share with my chilly brethren.

This winter, I have discovered hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”).

Hygge isn’t a new antidepressant. It’s not a cannabis-laced brand of grog. Hygge is a Danish concept that’s hard to define, because there really isn’t an English word for it. Cozy, comfy, and intimate come close…but not quite.

Denmark’s winter weather makes South Carolina’s look like a vacation in the tropics. 17 hours of darkness per day and constantly freezing temperatures seem like a recipe for Plathian levels of despair to me, but they’ve figured out a way to cope. Hygge.

Hyyge is curling up under a comforter in front of a fireplace with a good book while sipping hot apple cider, or cooking a hearty stew to share with friends surrounded by candlelight. Hand-knit socks, afghans (given to you by your grandmother), thick sweaters and dachshunds are all very hygge.

My house of hygge!

After reading several articles on this comforting philosophy, I realized what I’ve been doing wrong. Instead of resisting winter, I needed to embrace it. When the weather began to change, I went on a sweater shopping spree and pulled out my favorite quilts. I started to spend more evenings baking and cooking for my friends. Reading by the fire has become my favorite pastime. These aren’t necessarily things I would enjoy doing in summer, when there’s so much to do and when using your oven would turn your home into a sweat lodge.

Christmas jammies and Douglas are tres hygge!

This winter, I’m being kinder to myself. If I want a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, rather than a healthy spinach wrap, that’s what I’m having. If a second glass of wine sounds nice, I’m drinking it. Calories be damned…I’m just trying to survive winter here.

This is my winter of Hygge.

Jillian Owens is a writer, marketer, designer, and eco-fashion advocate. When she’s not gallivanting about, she’s busy refashioning ugly thrift store duds into fashionable frocks at ReFashionista.net or helping brands tell their story at Riggs Partners, where she works as a digital marketing strategist. She’s also a contributor for The Good Life Blog and The Free Times. Any comments, questions or crude remarks can be directed to [email protected].