We must bring
our own light
to the
darkness.

Charles Bukowski

Where do you find light in your life?

When the world gets too much, the pressure builds up, the demands are piling on with no time to complete either the bottom or the top of the pile…. where or what do you do to escape and find a small piece of light in the day?

It could be that you are a crafter and a few minutes of all-subsuming cross stitch or woodcarving fits your need.

You may be a baker, especially of bread, who finds escaping to the kneading board and proving drawer feeds the desire to create air, space and sustenance. Or you cook stews, soups and salads to feed the soul as well as the starving body.

Perhaps you, like me, are a reader who escapes to alternate universes, perfect chocolate box villages or the deepest space because the world has got too much for you.

My son walks. When life gets too much, he puts on his boots, wraps up well and any day except perhaps the wettest and coldest of all sets off to walk, destination both unknown and unnecessary. It’s the act of walking he needs, the rhythm, the relentless beat, the flow. Running has the same effect.

Whatever your spark is, whether it produces a finished article or is simply an activity that creates light within you, it is worth cherishing. I read, a lot, but I also like to write (this blog is my light on a bad day. I come here to escape a pile of files, to lose myself in reverie and contemplation of just the right word, or just to empty my clogged brain onto a page and free my mind up for the next stage in work) and also to draw, paint or colour. These three have been my sparks to re-light a fire and create light in a dark day since I was little.

Find your spark. Light that inspiration. Follow the lamp in the darkness and let’s get through the Winter, both physical and metaphorical, together.

This year I’ve been keeping a Christmas Commonplace book, a weird combination of journal and space to write down the quotes, poems, lists and lore that makes Christmas my favourite time of year. I’ve been drawing in it, and using watercolour paints to add a splash of colour.

And I decorated my living room windows with chalk pens and houses inspired by Amsterdam. Very gezellig, I hope you agree? Small easy actions, but they all give me an echo of the light I felt in creating them. That warm happy feeling of creation. Bring your own light, let’s enjoy Winter together.

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. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

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. And it’s always the little things.

My Christmas books are always available: Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is a good place to start, on how to make the season cosier, happier. Celebrating a Contagious Christmas was written during covid year, but has useful advice on celebrating when times are hard anyway and Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas is a short e-book on keeping Christmas simpler, easier and better for you, your waistline and your budget. It even includes 25+ suggestions for self-care activities over Christmas, as simple as sipping tea, keeping a list journal or lighting a candle. Bigger is not always better for Christmas.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of spring/summer.

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.

The photo between post and promotions is by Laura Nyhuis on Unsplash. I’m using it from now until January as a real reminder of the power of light. I loved the simplicity of the shot, the focus on the one candle, the reminder that there are many lights out there if we open our hearts to them and the combination of candle and nature in creating a cosy Christmas.