Skip to main content

Living the Hygge Life - By Tamara Franz


Years ago, my husband and I read a book by a Danish author, Meik Wiking, that changed our lives and how we think 

about happiness. Wiking is CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. Apparently, there are

 few better places to research happiness since Denmark consistently rates in the top three countries on the U.N.’s 

World Happiness Report. His book is called The Little Book of Hygge, and it explains why Danes are so happy. In 

contrast to our North American view of happiness, which tends to revolve around a future that never quite arrives: 

“I’ll be happy when…. (I get a raise… I get the RV/boat/car I want… I quit my job… I make six figures… I go on a 

trip/cruise… I lose 20 pounds… ), Hygge (HOO-GUH) is the Danish art of creating happiness by savouring  the small 

pleasures of life in the company of people you care about.

Hygge is about being in the NOW and being fully present. Danes put their phones away when they sit down together 

so that they can devote their attention to each other and fully take in each other’s company. They create calming 

atmospheres with comfy cushions and soft lighting (they burn more candles per capita than any other country). 

They make things cozy: think firelight, wool socks, throw-blankets, and hot chocolate, and they share the simple 

pleasures: good food, drink, sweets, and good conversation.

When Danes hygge together, they are invested in creating an experience that is satisfying to mind, body and soul—

an entire experience that is like one huge hug. They let go of the drama of news and politics and instead they focus 

on togetherness, making sure the talk includes everyone and nobody dominates. To me, the biggest thing that defines 

an experience as hyggelige is that it feels like being held in some way. And one comes away feeling satisfied and 

grateful.

Since discovering hygge, my husband and I have come to treasure the little things: our daily after-work coffee, lighting

candles before bed, scenting a room with a diffuser, buying a tiffany-style light shade, or putting up a friend’s beautiful

painting in our sitting room, (now renamed the hygge-room). We even placed a bistro set for two for weekend brunches in our sunroom, and loved it so much that, come 

winter, it is moved to the corner of our living room and set up by the picture window for weekend brunches. We started 

taking our bikes into Winnipeg to enjoy a day of biking the trails and savouring coffee and sweets in one of the many 

wonderful bakeries in the city. With the arrival of covid and so many restrictions, practicing hygge has helped us 

maintain a serene atmosphere in our home and has given us small, pleasurable rituals to anticipate and enjoy daily.

The most important thing we have learned in living the hygge life is that we create our happiness out of many, many 

small moments, like pearls on a necklace. We invite you to practice hygge in your own way and see how your 

happiness grows.

 

ACAN seeks to educate and inspire sustainable practices in our community.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, altonacan.blogspot.com or email inquiries to altonacan@gmail.com 

Give us a shout if you would like to be a Friend of ACAN.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Environment, Energy and Economies - A Canadian Primer: ENVIRONMENT ENERGY AND ECONOMIES IN CANADA - Ray Hamm

A few companies account for more than half of Canada’s crude oil production: Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources, Imperial Oil, and Cenovus. (Husky and Cenovus have recently combined. Hong Kong billionaire, Li Ka-shing will hold approx 27% of the new Cenovus.) The oil industry in Canada has taken a hit. Larger external factors are more significant than pipeline delays and environmental regulations. (For example:  international oil prices collapsed.) If Canada would reduce production of petroleum, one of the first options should be to shut down the oil sands in Alberta.  Why start with the oil sands?  why not share cutbacks across the country? The oil sands produce 12% of Canadian Green House gases. Even with newer technology the GHG production of the oil sands is increasing every year due to increasing petroleum production. It costs more energy to produce a barrel of oil from the oil sands than from other sources. Oil sands technology has gotten more efficient but it is s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Altona CAN! ...Live Sustainably - Connie Heppner Mueller

Welcome to Altona Community Action Network’s new column - AltonaCAN! ACAN is a small group of concerned citizens who reach out to the community to educate and inspire environmentally sustainable practices.  What has that looked like? We have hosted annual Earth Day events on various themes and partnered with town council to bring year-round composting to Altona. It has meant coordinating the community garden and supporting Boomerang Bags Altona to reduce our reliance on single-use plastic bags. We have a newly formed Tree Team that hopes to have some more t rees in the ground around Altona this fall. We were also gearing up to lead some waste reduction efforts at this year’s Sunflower Festival, but sadly that will have to wait for next year. What started as a fireside chat between two friends 5 years ago, has grown to a team of 9 members: Gavin Faurschou, Joanne Wiebe, Marilyn Houser Hamm, Joel Martin, Jack Heppner, Jonah Langelotz, Amy Pankewich, Kelly Skelton and Connie Heppner M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Environment, Energy and Economies - A Canadian Primer: CANADIAN AGREEMENTS AND TARGETS Ray Hamm

A new Canadian Climate Accountability Act was introduced in November 2020, Healthy Environment and Healthy Economy, in December 2020. The Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate was brought out in July 2020 - developed with the provinces and territories and in consultation with Indigenous peoples - to meet our emissions reduction targets, grow the economy, and build resilience to a changing climate. These look like good plans and projections. We can only hope that it will all work. One needs to look fairly deep to see specific numbers, there are a few. For the next 5 years, most of Canada is to be decreasing emissions or holding steady; Alberta is still projected to be increasing GHG emissions. It is hard to find specific numbers and goals among all the good words in these new plans. Time will tell, actual numbers over time, will show the real story.  Canada has a mixed record. At a 1992 UN conference, Canada was seen as a leader. This did not last long. In 2009, Canada ...
Post a Comment
Read more