For our 15th wedding anniversary in 2020, we planned a trip to Denmark. As you can expect, it was cancelled. It still benefitted me in many ways though. I had been researching Danish design for months leading up to it and discovered a new word which soon captivated my heart. Hygge. Recently popularised from the Danish language through books such as “The little book of Hygge: The Danish way to live well” by Meik Weiking. It basically means “cozy happy times”. Denmark is famous for its high happiness ratings. This seems surprising to many due to its northern placement on the map and many months of cold dark winter. If you ask the Danes, they agree that their belief in hygge and creating it in their homes is what this happiness is all about. And love of candles is right at it’s centre.

The art of hygge

As a Canadian living in Canada, I feel there may be some things I could learn! Making it through the winter is a struggle at times and anything to make it easier is worth doing. So what is hygge? It is fostered through cultivation of several things.

#1 – Good tasting food – don’t worry too much about the carbs, try and make it yourself…

#2 – Good company – the Danes love home dinner parties or an evening cuddled up with their favourite author

#3 – Candles – yes this is true! Candle burning is an essential element of Danish winter practice

#4 – Woolen Things – sweaters, mitts, socks, blankets, you name it, they’ve got it

This may be an over simplification of Meik Weiking’s beautiful ode to Hygge and Danish culture but you begin to get the idea. I’ll be focusing here on the candle bit.

A little light

What is it about candles that are so wonderful? While many “de-stressors” include some form of food or alcohol, the gentle, mesmerising quality of candlelight is a beautiful and healthy way to create calm and rest in your home. The light of a single candle is beautiful, adding 2 or 3 more can light up the whole room. Burn candles more often and during simple, everyday moments. Light a candle in the morning, afternoon, and evening; for occasions big or small; in the company of others or alone. I love tapers for dinner because I find we usually burn them down halfway the first night and finish them the second night. No worries of broken wicks or need to maintain a burn for a certain period of time such as pillar candles require. They also are not scented. I can sometimes be sensitive to scents or simply not wanting to mix vanilla bean with my pasta dinner.

So you know what I’ll be doing this month as we enter the deep of winter. Create a little more hygge in my home with the simple act of lighting a candle. Do you have any traditions or habits around candles in your home? Favourite times of day, settings or scents? I’d love to hear!

Cheers fellow northerners,

Suzanne