Friday, December 8, 2017

Beginning ~ with how to pronounce Hygge

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living ~ by Meik Wiking, 2017
Hooga?  Hhyooguh?  Heurgh?  It is not important how you choose to pronounce or even spell hygge.  To paraphrase one of the greatest philosophers of our time  Winnie-the-Pooh  when asked how to spell a certain emotion, "You don't spell it, you feel it."

However, spelling and pronouncing hygge is the easy part.  Explaining exactly what it is, that's the tricky part.  Hygge has been called everything from "the art of creating intimacy," "coziness of the soul," and "the absence of annoyance," to "taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things," "cozy togetherness," and my personal favorite, "cocoa by candlelight."
I've already started reading this book and applying what I've learned to living a more cozy life.  I've even taken on what one person is calling the Hygge Holiday Challenge.  Click on that link to read what I wrote on Tuesday about that challenge and what hygge is all about.  Just to intrigue you a bit more, the image above shows not only the book's cover (front and back, with the author's photo) but also a pair of warm, cozy socks.  Yes, new socks.  Let me quote from a later chapter in the book:
"Ally yourself with a nice pair of woolen socks as a hygge insurance" (p. 85).
No, I haven't gotten that far in the book yet, but I have figured out how socks and candlelight and my favorite tea help make my life more ... hyggeligt ... more cozy.  I'm hooked.



Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.

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