How to Hygge WITH Kids
Hygge, pronounced (Hoo-Gaah), is a Danish word that encompasses a cozy, comforting, slow down, be in the moment, positive togetherness vibe during the cold dark winter months.
Now, if you look up Hygge online or read about it in magazines, you will often get images of single folks snuggled up with blankets, books, wine, a roaring fire, and that all elusive peace and quiet us parents so desire! You may think, hmm, that's nice, but never going to happen over here ( as you face mini-crisis after mini-crisis with little ones zipping around your feet ).
But I am here to tell you that YOU CAN HYGGE WITH KIDS!
We pulled this off in a spectacular way last night at our house but before you think, yeah good for you, still not happening over here...let me set the scene...
For those of you following along on the CME Facebook page, you may know that we are in the midst of our Sun Calendar, counting down to Winter Solstice and Christmas. Each day the kids receive a special tag in the Calendar with a theme for the day. I chose these themes each morning as the kids eat breakfast. I was feeling optimistic at that time and chose to introduce the word / concept of Hygge to the kids, using the five senses as our guide.
On this particular day the kids didn't see the tag until after my son returned from preschool. By this time, we were sooo not in Hygge mode. I have an awful cold and was feeling particularly grumpy as my daughter didn't nap. And my daughter has that same awful cold. The kids were picking at each other every time I left the room so the dishes were piling up in the kitchen and the other chores I had hoped to have gotten to were not getting done. I was staring at that tag thinking, "why on earth did I chose to do that today!" and how the heck am I going to introduce it when I'm feeling like this!
After a less than graceful attempt to resolve the fiftieth argument the kids were getting into we all went upstairs to our separate rooms to take a moment to reset. Once I had a chance to fold my laundry and the kids had a moment to themselves we reconnected and I decided to grab some coffee and tackle the tag.
I am telling you all this before I tell how awesome our night of Hygge turned out to emphasize the fact that YOU CAN DO THIS, even if you think you are no where close to making it happen. Let me tell you how I turned our day / night around...
The kids, my coffee, and I all sat down on the rug by the Christmas Tree and I explained the word Hygge to my son while my toddler tried her best to cause trouble. He was interested so I persevered. I pulled out he pen and paper I had brought back and we made a list of the five senses. Then we all (grumpy toddler included ) started adding things to the list under each category that made of warm and cozy and happy in the winter time.
Collective Hygge List:
SIGHT: Lights, Clean House, Christmas Movies, Outdoor Photos, Watching the Snow
SOUND: Relaxing Music, Christmas Songs, Birds, Laughter
TASTE: Hot Cocoa, Roasted Marshmallows, Soup, ( Red Wine ), Tea
SMELL: Fire in the Fireplace, Cookies Baking, Pine Needles, Vanilla Candles, Popcorn
TOUCH: Stuffed Animals, Blankets, Pillows
The plan was to get into total relax mode once my husband came home from work. I really hoped we could pull this off.
Magically, by some miracle of mind over matter, we really sunk into our state of Hygee that night. Dinner was a mix / match of everyone's favorite leftovers and some simple cooking. The kids were told that after dinner there was going to be a cartoon Christmas marathon playing on tv while we cleaned and got out the big decoration box. This was all it took for a non-chaotic dinner to occur.
They were excited to see what was next. So we lit some vanilla candles on the mantle - high out of reach. The next things was something that really made me smile. We purged toys!! And they helped!! To make room for decorations. Sneaky but successful way to get the job done folks.
As the decorations came out, mostly handmade stuff from previous years, we popped popcorn on the stove. A huge popcorn bowl, hand cut snowflakes, Curious George Christmas Monkey on , vanilla candles, clean rooms, and the freedom of everyone to just be. Early pjs, lots of stuffed animals joining the evening, and finally cuddles and feet up as we watched the last movie before bed.
All the stresses of the day melted way when we gave in to Hygge. Seriously my friends, I'm not even joking, you need to do this!
Now, I'm not going to say that Hygee will save the day every day, because it will not always be possible with schedules and such to totally relax the night away. But it should be incorporated in small ways everyday during these shorter days and longer nights.
I can see this being the perfect motivator to slow down and connect with our little ones. This is something they need and we need more than we know. So stay in your pjs a little longer, share that cup of cocoa in the middle of the kitchen floor, stop for a stuffed animal hug fest before heading off to the store. Take time to cozy it up this winter.
Please share this. Parents need to know that families can relax and enjoy time spent indoors this season. Sink into it and be glad to be where you are. Be in the moment and make the moment count.
