No matter what the calendar says, for me, winter always begins the first weekend in December, when we put up our Christmas tree. This tradition started in 2013, when my wonderful husband proposed to me beside the Christmas tree on a snowy evening in early December.
That Friday, after a long and stressful week at work (I was extra busy preparing to spend half of the next week at a marketing training program), I headed over to spend the evening with my sweetie, even though we were in the middle of a good-sized snow storm, and the roads were iffy at best.
The storm continued as I drove, and what was normally a 25-minute drive took nearly an hour over slippery, treacherous, snow-covered roads, and I arrived shaking with nerves and stress. Although there had been many hints at marriage over the past few months, and I had been on pins and needles for weeks wondering when he would "pop the question," that was the last thing on my mind that night!
He prepared me a cup of hot vanilla chai tea with a splash of rum, and together we decorated his tiny tree with hideous red and gold plastic ornaments as I began to unwind. We were almost finished, and he said he thought he had a tree topper somewhere, and disappeared into the other room. I turned around a moment later to find him on one knee!
Every year since then, we bring home a fresh and lovely tree on the first weekend in December, and I put on most of the decorations while enjoying a glass of wine or a hot toddy, while my husband prepares us a beautiful spread of charcuterie, olives, cheeses, fruit, nuts, and other snacks. Then we finish the tree together and have a drink while admiring the beautiful lights and decorations and the fresh scent of evergreen. It's a wonderful tradition, and a perfect way to kick off the winter holiday season! It also gets me feeling all...hygge?
That Friday, after a long and stressful week at work (I was extra busy preparing to spend half of the next week at a marketing training program), I headed over to spend the evening with my sweetie, even though we were in the middle of a good-sized snow storm, and the roads were iffy at best.
The storm continued as I drove, and what was normally a 25-minute drive took nearly an hour over slippery, treacherous, snow-covered roads, and I arrived shaking with nerves and stress. Although there had been many hints at marriage over the past few months, and I had been on pins and needles for weeks wondering when he would "pop the question," that was the last thing on my mind that night!
He prepared me a cup of hot vanilla chai tea with a splash of rum, and together we decorated his tiny tree with hideous red and gold plastic ornaments as I began to unwind. We were almost finished, and he said he thought he had a tree topper somewhere, and disappeared into the other room. I turned around a moment later to find him on one knee!
Every year since then, we bring home a fresh and lovely tree on the first weekend in December, and I put on most of the decorations while enjoying a glass of wine or a hot toddy, while my husband prepares us a beautiful spread of charcuterie, olives, cheeses, fruit, nuts, and other snacks. Then we finish the tree together and have a drink while admiring the beautiful lights and decorations and the fresh scent of evergreen. It's a wonderful tradition, and a perfect way to kick off the winter holiday season! It also gets me feeling all...hygge?
I was recently introduced to this term, which describes a particular aspect of Danish lifestyle that has suddenly become super-trendy lately for some reason.
According to Pia Edberg, the author of The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge, "hygge is a concept of coziness, but it’s much more than physical or aesthetic comfort... It is also about mental and emotional well-being and surrounding yourself with people and things that you love.”
Life on the homestead feels very "hygge" to me this time of year - and with good reason. As Edberg explains, “Hygge allows us to embrace those moments and change our perspective by learning to enjoy this season more by deliberately creating more coziness and connection... Winter may not have the same fun energy of summer, but it is a beautiful time to slow down and enjoy life’s cozy moments.”
For me, one thing that creates that hygge feeling is being well-stocked for the winter. With our freezers and pantry packed full of summer bounty from the garden, a few special bottles of winter beverages tucked away the basement, along with shelves full of potatoes and squash, pickles, jams, and other canned goods, and fresh greens under blankets in the garden ready for picking whenever we need a green pick-me-up, there's just so much satisfaction and fulfillment in being able to provide so much of our own food for ourselves even during the winter. And without all the work and busyness of summer! Much as I love the summer garden season, I have come to truly appreciate the much-needed break that winter brings.
According to Pia Edberg, the author of The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge, "hygge is a concept of coziness, but it’s much more than physical or aesthetic comfort... It is also about mental and emotional well-being and surrounding yourself with people and things that you love.”
Life on the homestead feels very "hygge" to me this time of year - and with good reason. As Edberg explains, “Hygge allows us to embrace those moments and change our perspective by learning to enjoy this season more by deliberately creating more coziness and connection... Winter may not have the same fun energy of summer, but it is a beautiful time to slow down and enjoy life’s cozy moments.”
For me, one thing that creates that hygge feeling is being well-stocked for the winter. With our freezers and pantry packed full of summer bounty from the garden, a few special bottles of winter beverages tucked away the basement, along with shelves full of potatoes and squash, pickles, jams, and other canned goods, and fresh greens under blankets in the garden ready for picking whenever we need a green pick-me-up, there's just so much satisfaction and fulfillment in being able to provide so much of our own food for ourselves even during the winter. And without all the work and busyness of summer! Much as I love the summer garden season, I have come to truly appreciate the much-needed break that winter brings.
A quick trip to one of our over-stuffed freezers is all it takes to have fresh (frozen) tomatoes, green beans, okra, corn, celery, or a wide variety of home-grown peppers at the ready to add to our recipes.
Along with local meat that we buy in bulk from a local grass farmer and stash in the freezer to eat all winter, we really don't need to head out in the cold to the grocery store all that often. Instead, we can cook hearty, delicious, organic, mostly home-grown meals at home every night, curl up on the couch by the fire with a hot cup of tea (or Gluwein), enjoy the twinkling Christmas lights, and rest and relax while the cold wind blows, snow and/or rain falls, and winter does its thing outside. Sooo hygge! :)
Despite all the promotions you see these days for items to "help you embrace the hygge lifestyle," hygge isn't about stuff at all. Instead, it's about the cozy and satisfied feeling you get when you focus on enjoying what you already have, and especially, for me anyway, what you have already provided for yourself.
Winter isn't really an exciting time of the year. It's cold, often gloomy, and longer than I would sometimes like it to be. However, by embracing hygge, I have come to appreciate this season more than I ever thought I would! I hope you can find the hygge in the season too, and I wish you a joyous holiday and a cozy and restful winter ahead!
Rose.
Along with local meat that we buy in bulk from a local grass farmer and stash in the freezer to eat all winter, we really don't need to head out in the cold to the grocery store all that often. Instead, we can cook hearty, delicious, organic, mostly home-grown meals at home every night, curl up on the couch by the fire with a hot cup of tea (or Gluwein), enjoy the twinkling Christmas lights, and rest and relax while the cold wind blows, snow and/or rain falls, and winter does its thing outside. Sooo hygge! :)
Despite all the promotions you see these days for items to "help you embrace the hygge lifestyle," hygge isn't about stuff at all. Instead, it's about the cozy and satisfied feeling you get when you focus on enjoying what you already have, and especially, for me anyway, what you have already provided for yourself.
Winter isn't really an exciting time of the year. It's cold, often gloomy, and longer than I would sometimes like it to be. However, by embracing hygge, I have come to appreciate this season more than I ever thought I would! I hope you can find the hygge in the season too, and I wish you a joyous holiday and a cozy and restful winter ahead!
Rose.
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