Give Thanks...For Hygge

 We put up the tree the week before, but we waited until others could help to decorate. Glad we waited--it's always more fun with family. After we finished, we dimmed the lights and put on a Christmas movie. I had some computer work to do (and there was limited room on the couch thanks to the dog...) so I sat at the kitchen table. It was then, I looked over and snapped a picture of the one work that came into my mind...

Hyggeligt.

It's a Danish word without a transition, really. The best way to describe the root word hygge is "cozy." I remember first learning that word and I was told what it meant, but it wasn't until I experienced it in a small front room in Denmark that I really understood what hygge means.

Hyggeligt is a state of being. Imaging sitting in a room with loved ones, lights are low, a fire smolders in the fireplace, snow gently falling outside. Add a cup of hot chocolate and you have hygge, or a hyggeligt experience.

Thankfully, I've had many such occasions in my life. I've been so blessed to be surrounded by family, friends, laughter, and love. As I looked over at my family--all our children except the oldest and his spouse--I felt it, that cozy feeling, It radiated from the decorated tree, the stockings newly hung on the mantle, the warmth generated by many humans under one roof.

Hyggeligt...it's a wonderful word, and a better feeling. I'm grateful for the word and the feeling. I hope everyone reading this can find that in their lives, or if not, can make the world just a little bit more hyggeligt.

It's totally worth it.