That Hygge Time of Year

Finding warmth, rhythm, and comfort as winter truly settles in

Welcome to the porch, dear reader.

And, happy New Year to you. I am truly honored to have you here with me!

As I’m writing this letter to you late on New Year’s afternoon, I’m feeling so peaceful and comfortable, having just made a fresh pot of my favorite cardamom-cinnamon herbal tea and wrapped my wool shawl around my shoulders. I’m sitting here in my office which is really just a corner of our ‘sunroom’ - truly just a covered old back porch which is entirely surrounded by windows and skylights. Hence the name.

Our cozy cottage is filled with lovely music now, while the day has settled into a dark and foggy spell.

Drizzle and chatty ravens interrupt the peace now and then.

I had intended to send you this letter last Friday, the day after Christmas, but… yet another winter cold caught me and it wasn’t to be. So here I am today instead, excited to be back with you.

The days after Christmas always feel a little different.

The rush has passed, the calendar opens up, and the season seems to settle into itself. Winter stretches out ahead - quieter, slower, more spacious - inviting us in.

This is a time of softer rhythms. Afternoons arrive earlier, evenings linger longer, and there’s a natural pull toward unhurried moments. Not everything needs to be filled. Not every day needs a plan.

And winter doesn’t ask us to stay indoors all the time, either. There is something grounding about stepping outside in cold weather - bundling up, breathing in the crisp air, noticing the stillness and the way the light glows. Hikes in the forest this time of year are my favorite way to spend a couple of quiet hours.

I’ve come to believe that winter is a season worth treasuring.

So often we talk about winter as something to endure - a stretch of time to get through until life begins again in spring. But winter has its own kind of beauty and wisdom. It asks us to slow down, to rest more deeply, and to pay attention to what sustains us when everything else grows quiet.

There is value in this inward season. In the shorter days and longer nights. In the pause between what has been and what is still becoming. Winter gives us permission to move at a gentler pace and to find meaning not in productivity, but in presence.

When we allow ourselves to see winter this way - not as a waiting room, but as a beautiful season in its own right - it becomes something to enjoy rather than survive.

There’s a word that often comes to mind for me during this time of year — hygge.

I know, I know. It was quite the “it-word” a couple of years ago - super trendy. (Which I found tiresome after it went around a couple of times.)

But it’s actually a very real lifestyle concept that I love and embrace.

It’s a Danish word, but it’s also thoroughly Scandinavian, and it describes something much bigger than décor or tradition. Hygge is less about any specific action and more about a way of approaching life - especially in the darker, colder months - with intention, comfort, and presence.

At its heart, hygge is about being in the moment. It’s about letting go of what’s happening in the wider world for a while and creating a sense of warmth and ease right where you are. That might mean turning off the phone, dimming the lights, and allowing yourself to simply be - without productivity, without urgency.

Hygge isn’t limited to a place or a setting. It can happen at home or outdoors, alone or with family and friends. It might show up during a quiet afternoon with a book, a favorite meal shared slowly, or even a bundled-up walk outside followed by the comfort of returning indoors.

For me, hygge often includes hot tea, candlelight, and music that speaks to my heart. (Just like this moment where I sit in the sunroom writing to you.)

After the holidays pass and the days find a calmer cadence, I naturally turn toward those small rituals - settling into my favorite wing-chair late in the afternoon, planning garden beds, paging through seed catalogs, sketching ideas, and dreaming ahead while the garden rests.

The word hygge dates back to the Middle Ages, when a related Old Norse term meant “protected from the outside world.” I love that meaning. It reminds me that hygge isn’t about shutting life out. It’s about creating moments of shelter and care within it.

Seen this way, hygge becomes one gentle way of embracing winter for what it is: a season that invites us to slow down, savor simple comforts, and find beauty in quiet moments.

The Art of Hygge

There’s no single way to experience winter well. What brings comfort and ease will look different for each of us, and it can change from day to day.

Still, there are small, simple moments that can help us settle into this season - moments that invite warmth, presence, and a sense of being at peace.

Here are a few of my favorite go-to’s:

• Pour a hot cup of tea or coffee and sip slowly, without distractions

• Light candles as the afternoon fades - not for atmosphere, but for ritual

• Open a book where you left off and read for pleasure, not progress

• Put on music that speaks to your heart and let it fill the room

• Cook a favorite comfort-food meal, slowly and without hurry (tonight I’m making beef chili)

• Wrap up warmly and step outside for a short walk or a few quiet minutes in the garden

• Notice the winter light - softer, lower, and often warmer than we expect

• Settle into a comfortable chair near a window or porch and simply watch the day pass (my wing chair lets me look out to the horizon and watch the weather float by)

• Pull out seed catalogs, sketch pads, or notebooks and dream a little about what’s ahead

• Share a quiet evening with family or friends, or savor being alone without feeling rushed

• Turn off the phone for a while and let the world be smaller

• Go to bed early, letting rest be enough for the day

These are just ideas - gentle invitations - ways of reminding ourselves that winter can be lived with intention and pleasure, rather than resisted.

Winter doesn’t need to be fixed or hurried along.

It asks only that we meet it with a little openness — to notice its quieter beauty, its slower pace, and the small comforts that make these days feel grounded and lovely.

When we do, winter becomes less about waiting for what’s next and more about being present with what is.

However you choose to move through this season - indoors or out, alone or in company, quietly or with small rituals - I hope you find moments of warmth, rhythm, and comfort along the way.

This truly is that hygge time of year. And it’s here to be enjoyed.

With contentment & possibility,

---

P.S. — Let’s Talk

I’d love to hear from you! Please, tell me…

• How do you slow down and savor winter? Or, do you just honestly struggle to get through to springtime?

• Are there small rituals or moments that help you enjoy this season more fully?

• Do you find comfort indoors, outdoors, or a mix of both?

If you feel like sharing, leave a comment below - I always enjoy reading how others are living with the season.