“Hygge” is the newest cool experience, according to Pinterest, the Washington Post, and just about every other site I’ve been reading. If you haven’t run across it yet, it’s a Danish word meaning coziness, more or less. (It’s pronounced “HOO-gah”.)

Apparently, the word is used constantly in Denmark, which has about 8 months a year of weather that calls for a lot of hygge. Practiced properly, it encompasses your space, your people, and your intention. “A conducive environment is key to experiencing hygge,” says Danish ambassador Lars Gert Lose.

Yesterday was a good day to create hygge. I had both Jotul stoves going, all the lights on in the house, and a soup simmering on the stove. These began as an effort to at least start off warm and with something hot to eat when the power would go off, which was a highly likely possibility given the howling wind and thunder snow.

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