Hygge Is My New Winter Ritual

So the first reason my new winter ritual is hygge is that it's pronounced "Hoo-Gah". I'm just going to run around yelling "Hoo-Gah!"

I'm in. End of article. Hoo-Gah.

Nah, better keep going. So what is hygge?

Hygge is a Norwegian-Danish concept that focuses on optimizing coziness, contentment, and well-being.

These things can be achieved by striving to create a warm atmosphere, enjoying simple pleasures with good people, focusing on comfort, connection, and presence.

What's not to love?

Unknowingly, I've been living a quasi-hygge lifestyle for most of my life. My version is focused on a winter ritual cycle of cold and work to warm and comfort.

To be clear - I don't want to ONLY sit in my recliner with my electric blanket (lecky blanky) and my snuggle-lovin' dog. I also want to get out and work in the yard - walk said snuggle-lovin' dog, be active, get cold.

Then I want to come inside, feel the warmth of the house, have a cup of hot chocolate, get under lecky blanky, have the snuggle-lovin' dog plop down next to me and get my hygge on.

My winters are filled with thousands of tiny routines that repeat this cold-warm-cold-warm cycle - and I love them all.

Before I list some of them, I have to come to the defense of comfort. It tends to get a bad rap.

"Don't get too comfortable."

"Get out of your comfort zone."

There are others I'm sure you've heard or read. Well, I'm a comfort apologist. Whether we want to admit it, or not, we naturally seek a state of comfort. It's the payoff at the end of discomfort.

Like I said, I'm fine with labor, discomfort, and getting out of my comfort zone. But, I'm also just as happy to get back into my comfort zone. So if you're going to embrace the wisdom of the Danes and Norwegians and live a hygge life, you're going to have to get comfortable being, well...

comfortable.

*****

Winter fosters some of the cold-warm routines. The temperature drops. My wife and I both enjoy being cool. Pun fully intended. We enjoy feeling cool air. So we keep the temperature in the house at 55 degrees in most rooms. In the living room and kitchen, we keep the temperature at 60 degrees.

This isn't for everyone, but we like it. We also like our electric bill. We also each have a fan next to us that, even in December, will be on more than it's off. Electric bill be damned.

We dress warmly so that we don't get cold, but if we get too warm, off come the sweaters and sweatshirts and on go the fans. After a spell, sweaters back on, fan back off. Cold-warm-cold-warm. Hygge.

(You're still pronouncing it as "Hoo-Gah", right?)

We'll also keep a favorite beverage next to our recliners. For me, that's usually sweet tea or, for a special hygge treat, I'll have a cold Pepsi, on the rocks. (The Pepsi needs to be from-the-fridge-cold and poured over ice. Nothing like it. My big sister taught me that one, long before I'd ever heard of hygge.)

Or, we could have a warm beverage like apple cider or hot chocolate. If that's going to maximize our comfort.

*****

There's also the idea of comfort food, too, right? I'd be remiss if I omitted a favorite comfort food recipe. I have quite a few - Mama's Macaroni Casserole, my prize-winning chili, hell, kimchi is comfort food for me.

You know your comfort foods. Enjoy them in the comfort of your cozy kitchen, or, if you care to fully debauch yourself, enjoy it in your recliner, next to your snuggle-lovin' dog (or cat, or ferret), under your lecky blanky.

I'm going with a simple recipe: Rice Pudding.

You can buy some, and it will be fine, but, like everyone else hawking a recipe, I'm going to tell you that homemade rice pudding is much better than store-bought. The main reason is that you're using the best ingredients, (arborio rice is best), and you can manipulate the ingredients to suit your taste.

Want more cinnamon? Add more cinnamon. Want it less sweet, use less sugar. Want to add a special kick - like fresh figs, persimmons, strawberry jam? Go for it. Want to make an ancient Egyptian rice pudding? Google it.

The point is to have fun - making the rice pudding is part of hygge.

So here you go!

Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 4½ cups whole milk

• 1½ cups water

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick 3 or 4 inches long

• 1 cup Arborio rice (optimal) or look for Boomba rice that is used in paellas

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

• ⅔ cup golden raisins, or figs, or jam, or whatever (optional)

• 1 cinnamon stick grated or ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottomed, 3 quart sauce pan, combine the milk, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and rice. Stir to combine.

2. Bring to an intense simmer (just below boiling) over medium high heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer and continue cooking, stirring often until the rice is tender, about @25-30 minutes. Some liquid will remain. The mixture should have the consistency of a thin oatmeal but will continue to thicken as it cools.

3. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and raisins, if using.

4. Spoon the rice pudding into individual ramekins or small containers OR transfer to a large serving dish. Let the pudding cool slightly before serving or let cool to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day in advance.

5. Just before serving, top with freshly grated cinnamon or ground cinnamon. Pudding can be enjoyed warm or cooled.

Easy, peasy, right? Just make sure you don't let it boil too quickly (it will overflow) and keep stirring it (it will burn and stick to the pot).

Heed the warnings and relax. Enjoy the experience. It's simple, delicious.

It's hygge.

*****

Before I conclude, I have to say that hygge has much more depth to it than I've described here. It touches on home decor, ways to spend time with family, detaching from the world and technology, and much more.

I've just discovered this wonderful approach to life and will continue to learn more about it. I encourage you to do the same.

*****

Now let's put this article to bed...literally.

The bedroom should be your sanctuary. It should be supremely comfortable. Do you breathe a deep sigh of relief when you slip under your sheets every night?

I do.

Our bedroom is, if you recall, 55 degrees. It's chilly in there. We keep the adjoining bathroom at 65 degrees. I know. So balmy. So decadent. More on the bathroom later.

There are fans on both sides of the bed. Yes, they're on most nights, even in winter.

Our bed has a mattress topper. It adds a layer of comfort. For my covers, I go with a sheet, blanket, and a second blanket.

As I get ready for bed, the 55 degree temperature and the low, cool breeze from my fan gets me cool, I might even say I'm slightly cold.

So when I get into bed, it's an immediate rush of comfort. I cover myself entirely (except my head), with the sheet and blankets, and turn toward the fan.

I may wear a hooded sweatshirt to bed with the hood up. If not, I'll put the blankets over my exposed ear because it will get too cold (uncomfortable - anti-hygge. Can't have it - won't have it).

The experience of being cocooned in warmth, with a soft, cool breeze on my face is just final-boss-level-hygge.

It's not long before I'm into a deep sleep. I'll usually wake up a few times each night. (I'm getting older, after all). I get up and go into the bathroom. But the bathroom, and the bathroom floor are warm. Remember the 65 degree balm? When I'm in there, I'm comfortable. I'm all up in the hygge.

When I get back to my sleep sanctuary, returning to the warm cycle, I'll usually leave the sheets and blankets off, but only for a few minutes. I'll quickly get back to the cold cycle. That means back into the cocoon, and back to the cold-warm-cold-warm winter routine.

Comfort.

Hygge.