It’s December 1st, the first day of advent.

It’s the day I like to start decorating for and thinking of as Christmas. The first thing that ever I put up is my Christmas wreath. Middle of the front door, for all to see. A real sign that this house celebrates Christmas.

Not that I need to advertise that. I’ve been told by visitors to my house, and heard second hand from quite a few friends of my children, that my house feels like Christmas even in the depths of summer. I’m not sure whether it was meant as a compliment by some of the people, but I take it as one.

I think it’s because my house is set up for hygge. Not decorated for hygge, or a hygge house filled with hygge items, but set up for hygge.

You see, hygge isn’t the stuff inside the house, it’s the people and events that fill the house. And there is no better time to demonstrate this than Christmas, when the best hygge is to be had. Now I am prepared to admit that Denmark, Norway and Sweden know how to hygge properly and my own version is but a pale imitation (hell, they even own Christmas, according to ScandiKitchen’s post) but I know that within the British psyche there are enough Scandi genes and pagan tomfoolery to mean we can have a good shout at claiming Christmas is a hygge festival for us as well. I even took the most famous book in the world about Christmas ever, and showed how hyggely it was. (You can buy a copy here) In our own eccentric way, we Brits can do hygge. As long as we are prepared to let ourselves relax.

How is my house set up for hygge? It’s cosy, with blankets and cushions to get comfortable. It’s not precious (you can lounge there, if you want, you won’t break anything). It always has food to share and a warm kettle on the boil. You even get a choice of warm drink: tea, coffee or hot chocolate?

It’s got pets. Pets are automatic hygge, forcing you to slow down and rest while you hold them. They also provide excellent lessons in chilling.

And most importantly of all, it has the people I love to hygge with most. The tribe, who even when they drive me wild give me that warm, safe, secure, cosy, happy, comfortable, peaceful, joy-filled feeling of belonging there that is absolute hygge in any language.

What’s your Christmas hygge this year?

I have a massive favour to ask….

I don’t monetise my blog. I don’t run adverts, take sponsorship for writing posts or use affiliate links. I want everything I do on this blog and in my hygge life outside to be truthful. If I promote a book it’s because I’ve read it and like it, if I  point out an item it’s because it’s impressed me on its own merits and not because the publicist has talked me into it. It does mean I don’t run giveaways and I’m not chasing followers, but the drawback is that I need to find a way to support myself.

That’s why I write books. My thoughts are that if I ask you to buy a book not only does it support me, and let me keep writing as an independent writer, but you get something back for your bucks. I’ve written several books, some on hygge, some on Christmas. If you like what you read here, or in the Hygge Nook, and you’d like to support a struggling writer, would you please consider buying a book? Ebooks give you the best value, since for 2 or 3 pounds you get the content of the book, but I’d be a pretty poor writer if I didn’t appreciate the beauty of a real book in the hand. If you buy just one book, it all adds up in the end to support me, and I’d be so grateful.

I have three Christmas books,

Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas was released in September 2017 and is available again in paperback and ebook version. It looks at keeping the Christmas season warm and cosy, with ideas for activities and routines to keep Christmas happy.

A (Hygge) Christmas Carol is my look at Dickens’ immortal classic and the many lessons we still learn from it today. It contains the full text of the book as well as hyggely thoughts on the story.

Enjoying a Self Care Christmas is only available in ebook version. It’s about keeping Christmas simple enough and healthy enough to keep you sane in the process.

My other books are hygge related,

50 Ways to Hygge the British Way  was my first book, and is available in Paperback and Kindle version. It’s a simple look at ways to feel more hyggely in life and at home even though we’re not Danish and don’t have it in our DNA.

How to Hygge Your Summer, in Paperback and Kindle form, has lots of good ideas for the summer months. I strongly believe that hygge is so much more than throws and warm drinks.

Happier is my fourth book. It’s about how I boost my own happiness levels. It’s full of hints, tips and ideas for you to use and adapt to suit your own situation. It is available in ebook and paperback version from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

If you buy any of the books through the links on this page, I get a couple of extra pence per copy, in Amazon vouchers which go towards buying more books to review for the blog. I’d really love it if you’d support me monetarily, but I quite understand that cash is tight for many people, and I just love having your support via reading and commenting as well.