January can often feel like the longest month after the mad rush of Christmas. The mornings are still dark and the evenings are yet to become lighter. It doesn’t help that we have created a Monday called ‘Blue Monday’ and a lot of us are just willing February to come along.

But what if we’ve got this all wrong? Maybe we should be embracing these winter months, taking time out for ourselves and enjoying life’s quieter pleasures. This is certainly what the Danes do, they even have a word for it – Hygge. Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a Danish term to describe taking pleasure in everyday, ordinary moments to achieve contentment in life. It is the art of living a cosy life.

We think we’ve got it bad but the Danish have long cold winters with up to 17 hours of darkness. However, they are still considered to be one of the happiest nations in the world. Could this all be because of hygge?

My mum still talks about her fond memories as a young girl living in Denmark when her father was posted there in the RAF. She says of all the places she has lived and travelled to, Denmark was by far her favourite. Maybe hygge rubbed off on her while she was there because I think we both practise a little bit of hygge without realising!

I love coming home throwing on my comfiest clothes and fluffy socks. In the winter I close the blinds, turn on the lamps and whack up the heat, creating a warm, soft atmosphere for us all to go about our evening routine. At the weekends especially, we enjoy simple time together playing a boardgame or watching the newest series of Gladiators whilst snuggled up under our blankies (yes, we each have our own). My son creates a snack tray which we indulge in and I look around the room smiling to myself. That is hygge to me, it is whatever makes you feel content in the moment.

While hygge is a state of mind and not necessarily about material possessions, we can still apply it to our home by creating a hyggekrog. Basically that translates to ‘nook’, an area where you can be completely hygge. Hygge décor is of course all about cosiness – add a few plump cushions, soft blankets, candles (or get the fireplace going if you’re lucky to have one) and warm soft lighting. It doesn’t have to cost the earth but if you want to go the whole hog there are definitely loads of hygge furniture trends out there to choose from.

So maybe we all need to realise that it’s ok to batten down the hatches during the winter months and look forward to cosy nights in, sipping hot chocolate, watching the latest box set or picking up an actual book in your favourite pair of hyggesokker (socks). Whether you hygge solo or together, it’s about taking time out from the daily rush to relax, unplug and feel grateful for the simple things in life.

Like my son says  – ‘yeah, it can be wet and grey and gloomy in the UK, but it’s my paradise’. We must be doing something right!

Here at Eversley Storage our units are far from hygge! But they could help you declutter to achieve your hygge home. Stuff you may not want lying round the house during the winter months but will definitely need come summer, can easily be stored away in our dry secure units. We have a range of different sized units and flexible hire terms to choose from.

Need to know – read Ts and Cs about our household storage articles…

Choose another article to read