Hygge and the joy of the season

Why do we call this “the most wonderful time of the year?” It’s certainly not the credit card debt we rack up, or the calendars we have to coordinate in order to get to all the different family gatherings in three days’ time, or the worry about whether we got a better gift for the nieces and nephews than our siblings did, or any of the crap that for-profit companies want us to think it is. 

Nor is it the fact that everything outside is dead, gray, covered in ice, slush, salt, sand, mud, or some mix thereof. 

By logical measures, this should be the most miserable time of the year.

Yet…

The “wonder” of the season, I think, is what the Danish call “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah). Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian concept of creating a warm atmosphere, enjoying simple pleasures, and fostering contentment, comfort, and well-being, often with loved ones, involving things like candlelight, good food, and togetherness. It's also a state of mind focused on appreciating the present moment and everyday joys.

Sounds like the holidays, doesn’t it? Minus all the commercialization. 

Scandanavians perennially rank as some of the world’s happiest people. As someone who loathes all things winter, I’ve often wondered how this is possible. At their latitude, their days are even shorter. Winters colder. Lives therefore miserable-er, right?

Apparently not. In 2025, the World Happiness Report (who knew that was a thing?) found Finland at the top of the list for the eighth year running. Five of the top seven were Nordic countries. 

And since I know you’re wondering, the US ranks 24th this year, our lowest ranking ever. 

There are many factors that contribute to happiness, but short daylength and long, cold winters certainly aren’t on that list. 

Hygge, apparently, is. And that, for us, I think is a contributing factor to this being “the most wonderful time of the year.” And while “hygge” is specifically Danish, the concept of finding simple, cozy joys is universal in Nordic life. 

Then again, so is drinking at home in your underwear, at least according to the Finnish tradition of kalsarikännit. But I digress.

Hygge. Like the Christmas lights that my wife has seen fit to install all over our house’s living spaces. As much of a Scrooge as I tend to be, I have to admit that the soft glow is soothing. Ours are not the blue-bright LED kind. They’re the warm, orange-ish kind reminiscent of mini-candles. I suspect they’re still LED because they’re fairly new and they don’t get hot. 

I like to get up early and have some quiet time before the rest of the family rises. With the days so short this time of year, it’s always dark then. So I turn on the tree and its little faux-candles light up the living room enough for me to not step on the errant Lego. Or the dog. Coffee in hand, I extend my recliner, throw a fuzzy blanket over my legs, and enjoy the quiet. 

It’s soft. It’s warm. It’s home. And I have to admit, it is kind of wonderful. 

For most of humans’ time on this earth, our world was either lit by the sun, or it was dark. Once we figured out how to harness fire, we kept darkness at bay with flame. It was only in the 1870s and later that the commercial light bulb became a thing. But even its glowing filament was simply a more controlled version of fire.  

All of these light sources – the sun, campfires, fireplaces and torches, and the incandescent light bulb – were all fire-based. Fire has been our source of safety and togetherness for millennia. Literally. 

But it’s also a fire hazard, hence the modern transition to LEDs and their efficient, bright, almost-blue light. And here’s yet another instance where modern technology works against our evolutionary wiring. That blue-based light from LEDs and screens is proving to not be good for us on multiple levels. 

So consider this when you buy lighting. Lighting up a room like a car dealership is fine when you need to find that lost sock (or Lego you just stepped on), but for our happiness, go with something softer, warmer, more campfire-like. 

Finding simple, cozy joy is foundational in five of the happiest (and contradictorily northern-est) countries on earth. Maybe there’s the hidden value in Christmas morning here in country #24. Sitting with a warm cup of coffee in fuzzy pajamas under a cozy blanket on a soft couch watching kids experience the joy of opening presents they found under a softly lit Christmas tree has ‘hygge’ written all over it. So does a warm kitchen with the smell of Christmas dinner or baked goods and crowded with loved ones.

Most wonderful time of year indeed. Pants optional.