I am starting the fight against the winter blues well in advance of the shitty-ass time change that will take place in two weeks. I’m still trying to wrap my head around why we still do this as it literally serves no purpose in 2019. It’s stupid and horrible. I don’t care that my morning is dark. I do care that my evening is pitch black as I’m not working 2nd shift.
Last year, I thought about getting one of these and didn’t take the plunge. Earlier this week though, I said screw it and bought a Verilux Happy Light for $35. I’m loving it!
Hygge
But I’m not stopping there. This season, I’ll be practicing hygge (pronounced who-ga). What is hygge? If I were to define it, it’s about embracing a cozy lifestyle and appreciationg the simple pleasures in life. It’s how the Nordic countries get through the dark winter months without wanting to kill themselves. It’s about fires, candles (lots of candles!), indulging, friends and family. So I asked my friends if they, their husbands and children would like to participate in a hygge night once a week. We would rotate houses and the girls were totally on board with this. Like, we’re already planning pajamas and making warm wassail to drink. Meanwhile, the husbands on the other hand, would rather have a lobotomy:
One of my sons announced he is just happy with his happiness and would rather not participate in hygge. I then informed him he would indeed be participating when it’s at our house. He had no rebuttal to that.
Hygge Activities
So here are some things I’ve got planned for when we have hygge night at our house. Some are kid-friendly and some aren’t:
- Drink wassail
- Play board games including Ticket to Ride, Monopoly (I love this game!), spoons and left/right/center.
- Chapter readings of My Dad Wrote a Porno. If you haven’t checked out the podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno, you’re missing one of the greatest train wrecks of the century!
- Fire in the fireplace or fire pit….always!
- Dinners (easy casseroles)
- Movie
- Bake shit
So what do you guys thing? Are you going to be hyggeligt this season? Come on and try it with me! I even have a new Pinterest board set up for it for some ideas! Let me know in the comments section if you plan on practicing hygge!
*This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a commission.
You guys should build pillow/blanket forts and put up string lights!! I love the idea of getting other people involved and hosting it round-robin style.
You should do it! I think the guys will protest but will enjoy it. They’ll enjoy it damn it!
Wasn’t that why television was invented – to bring light to dark winter evenings. More recently Skype and Facetime so those with family in the opposite hemisphere can bring summer days into their dark home.
Oh man, the last thing I want to do is having a friend or family member show me their ocean front view. It’s almost an ignorance is blitz situation. And I love tv btw!
First, daylight saving time is the stupidest f%&king thing ever created.
Second, I’d like some hygge in a major way!
Third, I miss you and hope you’re doing awesome!
Thank you! Just haven’t had the time to write as much! And yes, daylight savings is the most stupid thing on Earth!!!
Our clocks changed today and I’m already depressed about it. Europe might abolish daylight savings from the spring of 2021, but it looks like Ireland will continue the stupid tradition along with the UK. It gets dark around 4:30 here in the winter.?
I love the Danish concept of hygge. Ever since I read a book about it I’ve been wearing my fluffy wool socks, eating lots of guilt-free cake, and even made my own gløgg (a variation of mulled wine that has lots of extra booze- port, vodka & rum) last Christmas. What’s not to love about that?! Enjoy? ?☕️
Awe, you like hygge too! Awesome! In regards to seasonal depression, I’m totally like that too. I hate the dark! To combat it, I can’t say enough about my Verilux light. I’ve been using it for 2 weeks now and noticed a difference. It sits kinda at the corner of your eyes, about 12″ away and I have it on anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. It’s now dark here at 6:30 and by Sunday it will be dark by 5:30 b/c we move the clocks back. Here is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K08ZDBI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=hotmessmemo03-20&linkId=56836f51cbe6bbf3d595e26fe90b5221&language=en_US
Thanks so much for the recommendation. I’m going to look into getting one. I’ve thought about it for years. In the meantime I’ll keep lighting my candles and fairy lights. ?