For some people, this is the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season is full of magical snow and all the warm and cozy feels that come with it. In Danish, hygge sounds like “hew-gah.” (The “y” in Danish sounds like “hew” in this word, not “hoo”) Except if you don’t put the right accent on the “y,” kind of like how r’s are so beautifully rolled in Spanish, it still comes out “hoo-gah” or “who-guh” anyway.

By delving into the way Scandinavians enjoy winters, there’s one truth I’ve come to understand about hygge; it’s all about the attitude that creates the feeling. And let’s be real – hygge is just plain fun! Who doesn’t love a cozy night in, surrounded by good food, good company, and warm blankets? It’s a simple pleasure that can bring a lot of joy into our lives. The series, with its darkness and violence, exemplifies uhygge – and yet the viewer will, most likely, experience it from the safety and warmth of the family home, bottle of wine open, heating turned up. A detective story is a way of dealing with the dark: it is about gathering and containing death and horror within a safe and predictable narrative structure. Hygge does the same work through different means: it draws us in towards warmth and togetherness and forgetting. But it also somehow depends on the existence of the dark, too. In Wiking’s book there’s a remark to the effect that an especially hyggelig situation he remembered (the scent of a stew simmering on the stove, an open fire, a group of friends) could have become more hyggelig with the addition of just one thing: a raging storm outside.

The verdict: Hygge is exactly what I needed.

But I think the biggest reason hygge is so popular is that it’s something we can all relate to. No matter where we’re from or what we do, we all have moments when we just want to slow down, feel cozy, and find a little bit of happiness. It’s a way of life that’s all about creating a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere, indulging in simple pleasures, and finding joy in the little things. If you have children, this is a great resource for shifting your perspective on how we approach going outdoors particularly in the winter months. Say goodbye to that ripped and threadbare old band t-shirt. Say hello to that lovely blue cashmere sweater that’s been hanging in the closet that you are “always going to” but never wear? Oh, the luxury and coziness, not to mention finally a valid reason to keep it! Lighting

When you’re looking to make your home more welcoming, remember that the most important factor is the people who live in it. A family relaxing together around a candlelit table epitomises hygge. Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images In fact, the mood of 2016 could even be described as uhygge. The word does not, precisely, mean uncosy – it does not summon up sharp-angled open-plan offices with severe furniture. It means frightening; it means sinister. If hygge is sitting round the campfire, all differences forgotten, warmed by the dancing flames, uhygge is the darkness beyond that enchanted circle. Uhygge, in fact, threatens to engulf the warmth, the solidarity, the kindness. In the unfathomable bleakness of uhygge exist those terrible things from the outside that could destroy you. On some atavistic, deep-buried level, migrants, refugees, and those with starkly different values, bring with them the fearful perfume of uhygge. Hygge has not arrived in our midst by accident. Its sudden presence in Britain is a matter of deliberate inducement and persuasion. In its most visible manifestation – the onslaught of books on the subject – it is a trend that has been carefully concocted in the laboratory of London publishing houses, and then disseminated through the ready collaboration of an enthusiastic neophile press.Clever storage solutions are the foundation of this lifestyle, removing unwanted clutter and opening up the space. Storage baskets are a must and excellent for hiding things away! You can’t buy a “hygge bedroom,” and while eating good food (or even a treat) can definitely be hygge, but there are no specific foods to buy that are “hygge foods.” It’s important to disconnect your idea of happiness from the amount of money you do or don’t possess. Happiness is not found in stuff. Each book has its different flavour. Wiking takes a broadly sociological approach, laced with disquisitions on interior design and cooking. Søderberg’s is a notably pretty book, homey and intimate, scattered with reflections from ordinary Danes. Abrahams writes as a foreigner investigating hygge; she combines expertise on Danish design with a memoir-ish approach about the search for contentment in her own life.

The Danes do it so well by using a mixture of materials to add interest to a relatively minimalist scheme. Hygge is about having less, enjoying more.The pleasure of simple living. It is generous and celebratory. A way to remember the importance of the simple act of living itself.” ~Louisa Thomsen Brits To hold twilight or watch it darken, describes the pleasure we take in pausing to observe as day slips into night. To stand at our window, wrapped in the half-dark and watch the day disappear… is a moment of hygge.” – Louisa Thomsen Brits

How do you make a hygge bedroom?

This book recommends that we actually Netflix and chill. Not in so many words, but cuddling up and watching a movie or TV is very hygge—especially if you’re sharing a blanket and bowl of popcorn. Board games, books, and maybe taking a walk is also hygge. Petting a cat, too. Essentially, this is my dream prescription for relaxation. Wiking suggests a hyggekrog, which roughly translates to “a nook.” So I created a place in my home to snuggle up with my warming blanket, read a book, and sip tea. My husband and I polished off a season of The Crown and rarely left the house all weekend, save for one long walk. It was utterly glorious. The verdict: Hygge is exactly what I needed. In the simplest terms, the word hygge is typically translated to “cozy” or “pleasant.” To most people who actually live hygge, it’s way more than that; it’s feeling hygge as a way of life.