Doing It The Danish Way

Find out why cuddles and cushions will help you and your baby live happily ever after

- Hattie Garlick

HYGGE was the big trend this winter 2016. In the shops, you can hardly move for all the throws, cushions and candles to make our homes more snug. But the Danish philosophy, which loosely translates as ‘cosiness’ isn’t just about interior decorating.

In essence, hygge (pronounced ‘hooga’) means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people around you. It’s enjoying a candlelit snuggle on the sofa with your partner or spending time over a meal talking about the meaning of life with those you love the most in the world. And it’s probably why the Danes are generally considered the happiest people on the planet and top the UN’s annual World Happiness Report year after year.

Jessica Joelle Alexander, co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting, says it does have a lot to do with this passion for cosiness, but there’s more to it than that. “Superficially, it might be about filling your home with candles and cakes,” she says, “but fundamentally,

it’s a psychological space you enter into with your loved ones. Embracing hygge means the whole family focuses and connects in the moment.” Try this life-changing trend that is suitable for all ocassions.

MAKE BATHTIME EXTRA COSY

“Hygge is such a big part of Danish family life that they do it without thinking,” says Jessica. For the rest of us, however, getting into what she calls ‘the hygge space’ requires conscious effort. “The unspoken rule is that everyone leaves their own stresses at the door, so they can focus positively on the whole family instead of just themselves,” she explains.