Basic Joy - Basic Joy

The kids in Tivoli Garden, Copenhagen, 2004

G and I are both Danish by heritage (let's not look too closely to see if we're related, ok?). G's Danish ancestry is a little more (air quotes) important (air quotes) since his g-g-g grandfather wrote the Danish national anthem (I know, can you believe I live with such a celebrity on a daily basis?). We celebrate the whole St. Lucia thing and are firm believers in the power of a good batch of aebleskivers (& I've got a killer recipe if you'd like to try them--thanks Jen J). Greg speaks Danish, thanks to a couple of years living there. That came in handy when we returned with the kids a few years ago to see the motherland (which is another post for another day).

Basically, we're Danish wannabees.

The Danes have a word--hygge (HOO-ga + also the adjective hygglig HOOG-lee)--to capture that whole concept of a warm, cozy time with friends and family and the feelings you get being together. It seems to guide their decorating, their priorities, and, really, their approach to life. I love it...I like to think there's a bit of natural hygge in my blood. I think it's what I mean by Basic Joy: the calm, cozy, relaxed, simple, homey comfort of finding the goodness in moments. (And now I'm humming the celebrate the moments of your life coffee jingle.)

This time of year makes me feel particularly hygglig. I was on the way home from school today and had a sudden rush of it. Oh, yeah...it's autumn all right. I don't need to wait for the autumnal equinox to tell me it's time to cozy up and get comfortable--I had to come right home and get hygglig. For me, that meant making taco soup, baking chocolate chip cookies*, lighting some candles, and putting on some good cozy music. The Danes are seriously on to something.

What makes you feel hygglig? How do you create it?

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Link love:

~ Hygge House blog by Danish expat wonder girl Alex Beauchamp

~ *the BEST chocolate cookie recipe. Just try it. They're divine...the best tasting cc cookie (and dough) with a great chewy texture inside and nice thin shell of shiny crispiness. I didn't believe it either but decided to try it--via Annie's eats, no relation :).

~ Camilla at home is an inspiring scandinavian home decor blog. I love to see the images she chooses. Very hygge. She gives little English translations for her posts and she's got lots of links to other great scandinavian blogs.