Last year you may have seen my post about ‘Embracing hygge’ (in case you missed it, you can take a read here). For me, hygge seems so appropriate for this time of year; cosy mornings, scarves and blankets, candlelight, comfort food, woolly socks and mittens.
Recently, hygge seems to have taken the world by storm. This traditional word from Denmark is no longer to be confined to Scandanavia, but is being embraced by the world. Take a look in any Waterstones window and you’ll see a dozen books on hygge. (I’d secretly like to think I got in there first)
But what does hygge mean to us here in our everyday? We can read articles and magazines, buy books or search on Pinterest, but how do we choose to embrace hygge for ourselves this season…?
In my last post on hygge I referred to the term as translating to ‘cosiness of the soul’ and how for me, hygge is all about embracing the little things in life that make you happy. Here are some suggestions of how to I intend to hygge this autumn/winter (almost a bit of an autumnal bucket list):
- Invite people into your home. Form new communities with old friends and new, play boardgames, enjoy food together, laugh until your belly aches, give gifts to neighbours and bring smiles to the faces of those around you.
- Go for an outdoor picnic. Okay, so it’s cold, but that autumn sunshine cannot be missed. Wrap up in a blanket, take a flask of soup and enjoy an autumnal picnic – I’m thinking fruit pies, cheeses and breads carried along in a cute wicker basket full of blankets and candles (as inspired by Pinterest). For those of you that know the Hampshire area, I’m thinking of heading up to Old Winchester Hill – a firm favourite of ours.
- Attend a fireworks show/party. Put on your cosiest knee boots, hat, scarf and gloves and remember, remember the 5th November. Toffee apples, sparklers and s’mores cooked on the bonfire are additional extras making your evening that extra bit special.
- Go pumpkin picking. I’ve talked quite a bit recently about the value of eating both seasonally and locally, so over the next few weeks I want to make a special effort to get to our local pick-and-pay to pick up some seasonal produce. It’s a fun day out, a great way to support your local business and I can guarantee the flavours will be better than those of any supermarket counterparts. A gorgeous bright orange pumpkin is top of my list.
- Spend time in the kitchen. If you love cooking and baking as much as I do, then autumn is a delightful season to spend some quality time in the kitchen; making chutneys and jams, using an array herbs and spices, baking fruit pies, throwing the contents of your cupboards into hotpots and stews, making some mulled cider/wine or autumnal cocktails, or trying out those recipes from your Granny’s cookbook that you’ve never got around to making.
- Give your home a cosy glow. There’s something lovely about spending the evening by a fire (or under the gentle glow of candlelight/ fairy lights); a glass of red wine in hand and a perfect autumnal cheeseboard to nibble on. At the moment I’m loving the ‘Autumn’ candle by The White Company.
- Learn a new hobby. Be it flower arranging, cake decorating, calligraphy, card making, crocheting… you name it! The cold, dark nights free up some time to learn a new skill – and you never know, perfect it and it could come in handy for making Christmas presents or decorations. This year I’d love to give modern calligraphy a go.
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