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Danes Quit Hygge Because It Doesn’t Work Anymore: You Can’t Always Diffuse Gray Days with Comfort
They’ve taken up ‘pyt,’ an attitude also known as ‘never mind, things could be worse,’ instead
When winter arrives, all most of us want to do at the end of a long day, or even on a gray morning, is to snuggle in that familiar, cozy way — lounge next to a blazing log fire, sip hot chocolate and wear soft, hand-knitted socks.
We got the idea from the Danes, apparently, because they had a word for it: Hygge. Many of us were already doing it — we had real fires, fleece throws for the furniture, and cushions to lie on.
But we didn’t give our deeds a label as the Danes did. So, our winter nesting (there, I’ve offered an alternative name) behavior became inextricably linked with the Danish custom of hygge. We look to their culture and customs to help us get through long, chilly wintertime and stave off the winter blues.
This cold season, though, we’re in for a shock. The Danes have given up their beloved hygge. They’ve practiced it so often it’s lost its magic.
Aksel and his wife Agnete had this to say when I visited them recently to find out what was happening.
Aksel: “We first noticed hygge wasn’t…
