Hygge Holiday Challenge

Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge, which I read in 2017, says hygge has been called all these things, among others:

• the art of creating intimacy
• coziness of the soul
• the absence of annoyance
• taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things
• cozy togetherness
• cocoa by candlelight

Let's take the Hygge challenge, shall we?  Here's what's on the list in the illustration above, plus a few others I've found:

1. Take a break.
2. Be here now.
3. Turn off your phone.
4. Turn down the lights.
5. Bring out the candles.
6. Build relationships.
7. Spend time with your tribe.
8. Give yourself a break from the demands of healthy living.
9. Cake is most definitely Hygge.
10. Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow.
11. Get comfy.
12. Start a gratitude list.
13. Add relaxing scents.
14. Sleep in for 15 minutes or more.
15. Learn a new skill. 
16. Turn off the phone before bed.
17. Send a thank-you note.
18. Have a candlelight dinner.
19. Go for a 30-minute walk without your phone.
20. Cozy up with a new book.
21. Have a tech-free evening.
22. Invest in a cozy sweater.
23. Go on a coffee date in real life.
24. Add some greenery.
25. Cook a new recipe with family.
26. Have a game night.
27. Treat yourself to an at-home spa day. 
28. Make a new friend.
29. Let in natural light.
30. Enjoy some hot cocoa or tea.
31. Bake your favorite holiday treat.
32. Get cozy and watch your favorite movie.
33. Have a dance party.
34. Pray, meditate, or just breathe.
35. Give yourself a break.
36. "Unbook" yourself.

I put "unbook yourself" last so I could show it with this shirt that says, "I can't.  I'm booked."  I inherited Donna's shirt when she died.  I was wearing it this week in our Circle@Crown Café downstairs when Melvin looked puzzled and said, "I don't get it."  In my case, "I'm booked" means that "I'm reading another book; so whatever it is that you want me to do, I can't do it because I am busy reading."  Suddenly, Melvin got the joke and laughed.  He is also a big reader and usually has a book with him in the Café, just in case there's nobody around to chat with.  Be sure to notice that #20 on the list above says:  "Cozy up with a new book."  Heck, it doesn't even have to be new.  It's also fun to re-read old favorites.

Anyway, adapting these lists is the key to making this work for us, so pick and choose what works for you and whatever seems comfy and cozy and makes you smile.  It's okay to repeat any of these that make YOU feel good.  I'll end by quoting the author of that book I read:

"Cuddling pets has the same effect as cuddling another person ― we feel loved, warm, and safe, which are three key words in the concept of hygge."

― from The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking (page 41)

Thursday thoughts

Light has no shadow.  I've been thinking about odd things today, I guess.  But also, I've been enjoying friendships I've made here at the Crown Center where I live.  I went down to our Circle@Crown Café for breakfast and chatted with Kari, Judy, Melvin, Alyssa, Iva, and Brenda.  I've been reading devotional essays by Joan Uda and thinking about calling Joan to talk about some of what she wrote.  She lives in Montana now (again), near two of her children.  When I met her, she was living in the apartments next door to the Crown Center, which is maybe half a mile from the home of one of her daughters.

Helen of Helen's Book Blog once asked me how I met so many authors.  Well, Helen, it helps to live near one and have the secretary of the church I'd been attending call to ask if I'd give a neighbor a ride to church.  Joan didn't have her car here, having flown in to bring her husband for specialized medical care in St. Louis.  After he died, she moved back to Montana, but we remained friends.  I flew to Montana in 2019 with her daughter and son-in-law, who took me with them to surprise Joan on her 80th birthday.  I've also had fun meeting other book bloggers.  So Helen, if you ever "drop by" St. Louis in your travels, let me know and we can meet at the airport or my place or somewhere.

I'll leave you with a laugh:

12:12 on 12/12 — continued

Melvin, Bonnie, Dre, Karen, and Donna

Lunch at noon in the Café meant we could take group photos around the table at 12:12 pm on 12/12 to go with the full moon shot I posted twelve hours earlier.  So Karen and I pulled out our cellphone cameras.  Hers was better than mine, so thanks for letting me use it, Karen.

Sunday Salon ~ my current book list

Book I just completed

Alternate Side ~ by Anna Quindlen, 2018, fiction (New York), 8/10

"Don't be cynical," Charlie said.
"I'm a New Yorker," said Nora.  "Cynicism is my religion" (p. 209).

"So how are you, really?" Rachel said.  "And that's not a rhetorical question."
"I take a lot of pleasure in having children who know what a rhetorical question is," Nora said, carrying coffee mugs to the dining table as her daughter followed (p. 267).

"People go through life thinking they're making decisions, when they're really just making plans, which is not the same thing at all" (p. 280).

Book I'm reading now

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake ~ by Anna Quindlen, 2012, memoir

Quindlen writes about a woman’s life, from childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, using the events of her life to illuminate ours.  Considering and celebrating everything from marriage, girlfriends, our mothers, parenting, faith, and loss, to all the stuff in our closets, Quindlen says for us here what we may wish we could have said ourselves.  As she did in her beloved New York Times columns and in A Short Guide to a Happy Life (2000), Quindlen uses her own past, present, and future to explore what matters most to women at different ages.

Book I plan to read next

The President Is Missing ~ by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, 2018, fiction

This novel confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America.  Uncertainty and fear grip the nation.  There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet.  Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view.  Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation.  Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years.

At 513 pages, this one is a chunkster!  Melvin donated it to our little Crown Center library, after he finished reading it, but our shelves are full.  So I brought it home to read before shelving it.

This photo is from three years ago, when we were purging old books from the shelves to make more room.  Those shelves are now crammed full.  Working that day were Judy, Donna, and Nancy (left to right) and a very young volunteer sitting on the floor.

TWOsday ~ in the Circle@Crown Café

Yesterday, Tonya posted this week's specials for the Circle@Crown Café:

Monday:  Veggie Burger on Pretzel Roll
Tuesday:  Pasta Fagioli with Cheese Garlic Bread
Wednesday:  Baked Salmon Wrap
Thursday:  Artichoke Quiche
Friday:  Battered Fish and Mac and Cheese

After checking my calendar and deciding what appealed to my taste buds, I posted a comment, saying, "Looks like Tuesday and Thursday for me."  Then I invited friends to join me, some on Facebook, some around the dinner table last night.  I have friends lined up to eat with me today and Thursday.  In the meantime, here's a painting by Susan Dorothea White of a bunch of other women enjoying a meal together.

Image Source:  http://www.susandwhite.com.au/

UPDATE after lunch:

Donna, Sandy M., and Melvin were already in the Café when I arrived with Marie, having talked her into joining us for a few minutes.  Ezra sat and talked while waiting for his order to go, and Katie spoke to us while getting her drink.  Barbara arrived after most had finished eating, but we had a great chat anyway.