New year, new you and all that rubbish. Are you doing dry January, committed to fasting at least two days a week and joining a running club in the hope you will be one of those people on Instagram? Or are you – like most of us – doing dampish January, trying to eat healthily, while enjoying all the soup and stews that the next few dreary months require?
I used to co-write The Womens Room blog and back in 2015 I wrote about how I love lighting fires and candles and getting cosy in the winter months. I had no idea it had a name until a Danish reader altered me to the term Hygge, which is pronounced “hoo-gah” and is defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture.”
Embracing winter is an essential part of Scandinavian family life. The Norwegian word Koselig describes the feeling of coziness and being comfortable, but in a social setting. It’s about contentment, intimacy, warmth and creating a pleasant environment.
For me Hygge and Koselig are a way of life in the winter months. Getting friends together to eat, lighting fires and candles and creating cosy spaces in my home are things I instinctively do every winter – without giving much though to whether it’s a ‘thing’ or not!
Since I first wrote about Hygge retailers have tapped into the concept and embraced it as a way to sell lifestyle products. Something I struggled with tbh, as although my job is to tap into lifestyle trends to re-appropriate them for retailers and brands – in my real life I am all about authentic living – and the concept of Hygge as a marketing campaign didn’t feel totally genuine.
But marketing concept or not, January and February are hard months, dark, cold and unforgiving, so let’s all give ourselves a break and try to embrace Living Softly.
Retailers – you’re welcome!!
- Sitting soft: A giant squashy sofa, preferably velvet, is key to sitting soft and one should be able to visibly sink into it. Lots of giant downy cushions and a mohair blanket are also vital in order to feel enveloped in softness. Pets (dogs, cats or both) should also be allowed to snuggle up for maximum soft, or if you don’t have any pets a small non-wriggly child is also quite cosy. A real fire, candle light and a glass of red wine or cup of tea are also advised.
- Wearing soft: Also known as Quiet Luxury, any natural fibres, particularly cashmere are vital here. My favourites are a pair of cashmere socks – currently red ones, because ‘fashion’. Other essential soft items include brushed cotton pyjamas, micro fibre dressing gowns, fleece tops and sheepskin slippers. Cashmere shawls and cardigans are also good for wrapping up.
- Speaking softly: The wonderful, sadly now deceased, perfumier Angela Flanders once told me, when she wanted to be heard she spoke more softly than usual as it made people listen to her. This is a great idea and actually makes you feel calmer in stressful situations – plus when you do actually lose the plot, shouting works much more effectively!
- Exercise soft: Enough with all the running and working out, going for a long walk, pilates, yoga or even just a dance round the kitchen to you favourite Kate Bush song (try not to let anyone see, as they may not understand your particular form of interpretive dance) is a softer approach to exercise.
- Living softly: Being kind to yourself and others and taking time to rest and enjoy the simple gentle things in life that don’t cost anything, but make you feel good – chatting to friends, lighting a fire, having a cup of herbal tea in a bubble bath, making soup or meditating – are all great ways of living softly. Giving other people the benefit of the doubt is also a more gentle approach to relationships. If someone is acting strangely or being unkind, try asking whats going on in their life – maybe they’re unhappy, or simply need a friend.
- Soft Nature: Another Norwegian word – these Norwegians are great at wintering – “friluftsliv” — roughly translates to “open-air-living”. Like Hygge, but instead of finding comfort indoors, friluftsliv is about finding it outdoors. Be it immersing oneself in icy water, screaming and then wrapping up in a Dry Robe, or simply walking outdoors every day – whatever the weather- there is nothing better for the soul than connecting with nature and breathing fresh air, however cold.
And finally if you are feeling chilly and moaning about the weather, we wrote about how winter creates opportunities to align our daily patterns and routines, in The Power of Cold, for our A/W 24/25 Macro Trend Sanctum.
