The Body Shop in Liverpool One has arranged a hygge evening on Friday 27th October and I am going to be the guest host. I’m quite excited, because this will be the first hygge evening I’ve hosted in a shop, rather than at home.

First of all let me say that, yes, I know that hygge can’t be bought and yes, I know that encouraging people to spend money they don’t really have would be contra- all hygge beliefs and ideas…. but that’s not really why I said yes to the enterprise. I’m not even being paid for the evening or being given a free gift.

My aim with the evening is to talk a lot about hygge to various people, to encourage them to think about what hygge means to them and the ways they experience hygge. I want them to think of the people and activities that matter most to them. The fact that I am doing that in a Body Shop store, rather than a private home, is neither here nor there. The location is, to a large extent, immaterial, as long as the heart of the matter is true.

And that having been said, I believe that certain kinds of shop or cafes make an excellent place to hold a hygge evening.  I’m hoping at a future date to hold a hygge evening in a local Starbucks store, where the link with hygge is obviously the hot drinks and good times with friends. A hygge evening in an interiors store would also work, with an emphasis on comfortable furnishings to stand the test of time. The Body Shop works for me, and here’s why:

Wandering around The Body Shop and trying out all the available samples is one of the most hyggely things I like to do with my daughter when we’re out shopping. It’s like neutral territory, because it’s neither too classic chic for her or too modern glam for me. It’s not so expensive I suck in my breath and not so cheap I look at the products and wonder what they really must be made of. The clientele are neither too with it or too way out for either of us, so we can look and enjoy the experience together. And the products are of a reasonable enough price that I can say yes, and Sarah knows she can ask for stuff within the bounds of reasonableness so we both go away happy, me with the warmth of having treated my daughter and her with the warmth of getting something that was probably on her wishlist anyway. (She loves the mango scent: I love the vanilla. Both food, just different families)

In its original form, with the marvellous Anita Roddick at the helm, The Body Shop ticked all the boxes for sustainability, attitude to resources and suppliers. I loved that the bottles were medicine bottles reused. They still make a big commitment to the environment, although Health and Safety rather put an end to the reused pill containers.

So, what will a hygge evening involve?

Well, I’ll be talking (a lot) about the true meaning of hygge, how it’s not just about candles, covers and cake, but about the time with other people, the contentment with small things and the building of community through small groups. I’ll be showing off my comfort kit, complete with new The Body Shop items in, and talking about how to host a Hygge Spa Party with friends. More on that later in the week….

If you live in or around Liverpool, I’d so love to meet you. I’ll have some copies of all my books available, but what I really want to do is meet some of the excellent people I’ve linked up with online in real life. If you can’t make it… well, I’ll be sad, but I’ll post lots of pictures on Instagram and Facebook. You could always hold your own hygge evening and share the pictures hashtagged #hyggeevening. I’d love to see that!

My Christmas book, Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is available in paperback and ebook versions from Amazon. If you do read it and enjoy it, please do leave a review or a rating on Amazon and Goodreads.