It’s Friday 21st December. Because of how the year falls, this is my last day at my work desk until 2019. I love my work, I really do. Which other job would knowingly let me write blog posts and whole books between the paid work I have? Not many, so working for the Husband suits me just fine.

But at around 4pm today I will quite happily pack up my computer, blow out the candle on my desk, pull the shutters down and lock the door before driving home for Christmas.

Home. Is there any word sweeter, any place I’d rather be? For me, no. I’m a real home bird. I love holidays, enjoy breaks away and yet, after about 10 days I get itchy and want to get back to my nest. I’ve worked on that place, I’ve created a space that suits me and my family. It’s not classy, not elegant, often not even that tidy, but it is cosy, well-loved and has everything I need to keep me happy: a family I love, books and TV to enjoy, and food always ready to warm the cockles of someone’s heart.

When I first got married 25 years ago it took me almost a year to stop talking of my parents’ house as home. I would be ‘going home to see Mum’, or ‘spending Christmas at home’. I remember crying some nights because I had come home from work to a house, but it didn’t feel like home. I knew I had settled down when home became the place I lived.  When I could ask the husband ‘What time will you be home?’ and feel that warm glow.

And yet, I don’t think it’s actually the bricks and mortar that make home for me. I think I could be happy in any house, as long as I have the family around me. It’s the being with those I love and care for that create a home. Whether that’s husband, children, parents,  living solo or pets doesn’t matter. I think we all need that security of being loved and being supported. Home. It’s the place I go to recover from life. And I love it.

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.