Hygge Christmas - Part 1
As the nights draw in, and the cold and the wet weather sets in, the Danish people don’t draw the curtains and hide away from the winter months. They see it as a time of the snow and ice becoming a bit of a playground and revel in everything that the winter season has to offer.
This of course brings us to …CHRISTMAS! And in this first part of how to celebrate Christmas in a more hygge way, let’s think about traditions. We all have our own traditions of how we celebrate Christmas. But how to make it more hygge??
Here are a few tips for you to use if you want to, to integrate them into your own family time at Christmas.
Hygge to Christmas is like going for a beach holiday in the summer - they go hand in hand. For those of you who have introduced hygge into your everyday way of living, Christmas is THE time that it comes into its own. Build on the cosiness of hygge with a few of the following suggestions.
If you have a fireplace, keep it lit using pine scented logs to bring in that Christmas smell.
Pile on the woollen throws and blankets for family to cuddle up in when they come to visit.
Have warm fluffy socks for family and friends to pad about in. And if you’re feeling really hygge, buy everyone a Christmas jumper :)
If you want to turn away from tinsel, go for using natural materials such as string, twine, woods and wool and decorate with those instead.
Candles are a mainstay of creating a hyggelig space, and so go mad and place them around your home and keep them lit…safely of course.
Use scented candles such as pine, cinnamon, spiced apple and mulled wine scents and fill the house with that gorgeous seasonal scent.
Don’t just have lights on the Christmas tree. Drape them round mantelpieces, pictures, wall lights or on bare walls. Danes tend to go for winter whites, so instead of multicolours, try natural whites, gold or pale blue lights.
Wrap your presents in brown paper and decorate with natural materials such as yarn or ribbon. Or make it into a Christmas art and craft session and let your children make their own wrapping paper.
In the next part of this Christmas hygge, we’ll think about Christmas dining with family and Christmas decorations. Until then, peaceful wishes.
