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)

Sunday Salon ~ hygge, books, and a calendar

"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

BOOKS ~ added to my Kindle

The Dream of God: A Call to Return ~ by Verna J. Dozier, 2006

Ch. 1 ~ The Dream of God
Ch. 2 ~ The Biblical Story
Ch. 3 ~ The Rejection of the Dream
Ch. 4 ~ The Temptations of the Church
Ch. 5 ~ The Persistence of the Dream

Again and again the Christian church has fallen away from the dream God has for it, a dream in which we are called to follow Jesus and not merely to worship him.

The Daughter ~ by Lucy Dawson, 2017, psychological thriller

Seventeen years ago, something happened to Jess’s daughter Beth.  The memory of it still makes her blood run cold.  Jess has tried everything to make peace with that day, and the part she played in what happened.  It was only a brief moment of desire, but she’ll pay for it with a lifetime of guilt.

To distance herself from the mistakes of the past, Jess has moved away and started over with her family.  But when terrifying things begin happening in her new home, Jess knows that her past has finally caught up with her.  Somebody feels Jess hasn’t paid enough, and is determined to make her suffer for the secrets she’s kept all these years.

In the Beginning...: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis ~ by Isaac Asimov, 1981

In our Western civilization, there are two influential accounts of beginnings and the origin of life.  One is the Biblical account, compiled more than two thousand years ago by Judean writers who based much of their thinking on the Babylonian astronomical lore of the day.  The other is the account of modern science, which has built up a coherent picture of how it all began.  Both represent the best thinking of their times, and in this line-by-line annotation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, Isaac Asimov even-handedly compares the two accounts, pointing out where they are similar and where they are different.  Asimov says if the Biblical writers "had written those early chapters of Genesis knowing what we know today, we can be certain that they would have written it completely differently."

Youth ~ by Isaac Asimov, 1952, short fiction

This novelette first appeared in the May 1952 issue of Space Science Fiction.  It's one of the rare Asimov stories with alien characters.

CALENDAR

Click to enlarge the Friendly February calendar

I'm a bit late getting this calendar posted because I only found it this morning.  Here are the first four days of the month, and I'll post the coming week tomorrow.

Feb. 1 ~ Send someone a message to say how much they mean to you.
Feb. 2 ~ Ask a friend what good things have happened to them recently.
Feb. 3 ~ Be gentle with someone you feel inclined to criticize.
Feb. 4 ~ Get in touch with an old friend you've not seen in awhile.

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon — at separate computers in different time zones — to talk about our lives and our reading.