Sometime last month I must have missed the anniversary of the first post on How to Hygge The British Way…. on 15th September 2016, as it happens… and it wasn’t until the reminder popped up on my phone that today was Cinnamon Bun Day that I realised it must be my blog anniversary.

Five years ago Cinnamon Bun Day was my Proper Launch Day, the day I highlighted as the start of my Year of Living Hyggely. I have seriously never looked back. Through sickness, family turmoil and a world-wide pandemic, I have stuck to my commitment to have moments in my life when I lay all the worries and panics aside and just be. I place a greater stress on having a cosy home (not nordic minimalism, that’s not my style) that welcomes so many visitors in to sit, relax and just be.

And in those five years this little blog has grown (not too large), founded a Facebook Group full of other people looking for balance between too much and too little, and I’ve written and self-published eight books, all with a focus on hygge and happiness. I couldn’t have done that without the support and help of so many people: most of all, my husband, Peter, who employs me and lets me use some office time for writing when the deadline for a book gets too close. My children, all adults now, have trained me to be a hygge mother and still tell me to chill if I get too stressed. My parents have always supported me emotionally and with practical help when I need it. And my IRL friends have spent hours hyggering over coffees, teas and… yes… the occasional bottle of wine. I wouldn’t be so happy without you all.

And the many friends I’ve made over the five years because of hygge are all a gift I never expected to have: The Hygge Nook and its associated offshoots, the people I’ve met through writing my books and who have contacted me to say that something I wrote has helped them create a better life and even the occasional stranger that I have got talking to and ended up friends with over tea or yoga because they looked friendly and I wanted a chat. Thank you all, and thank you for still reading my mumbling.

Here’s to the next five years. The blog has morphed slightly into a happiness-cosiness-hygge-mental health matters kind of blog, but that’s all well and good. Hygge encompasses, feeds into and is powered by so many other areas of wellbeing that it’s not strange that that happened. Mindfulness, gratitude, a cultivation of contentment, awareness of nature… the list goes on. What hasn’t changed is that, at its heart, hygge is a simple thing, happiest with simple living and most happiest of all when celebrated with a pot of tea and a cinnamon bun fresh from the oven.

Today’s header is by Fallon Michael on Unsplash. Cinnamon buns are all very well, but not much use without a decent cup of tea or coffee as well.

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. August is like a pause before real life begins again in September, so it’s a second chance to set up rituals and rhythms that boost happiness and work for you.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human.

On the principle that it’s never too early to start thinking ahead, really, and that Christmas is always on us before we know, how about Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas? Christmas is about the small things in life, much as hygge is, and establishing what you want from Christmas and then being able to say no to the excess is important. The book has hints and tips that hopefully will help you enjoy what is, too often, a frantic season.

Available as just an ebook, and a short, sharp read, is Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas: Easy Ways to keep the Joy of Christmas, and your Sanity, intact. It’s an easy read, with ideas and hints to keep you sane through the season. The self-care advent calendar is one I’ve followed for a few years now, and it really is a small daily dose of calm in a manic month.

And on the basis that we may well find ourselves in Lockdowns or unable to enjoy an absolutely normal Christmas under Covid regulations if numbers spike, why not read and plan alternatives? Celebrating a Contagious Christmas was written in response to the pandemic last year, and will need updating soon, but it is about celebrating whatever the situation, and does have good advice on stocking up an emergency cupboard, celebrating when travelling to relatives is impossible and putting the heart of Christmas back into the heart of the celebrations.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well, and read the other posts in the series, too.