Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is the Danish word most commonly translated as “cozy.” Stereotypically, hygge in Denmark is represented by candles, big sweaters, lots of wine, white furniture, and friends enjoying dinner together. All of those things are true and part of how Danes realize their culture – “hygge” is part of their everyday parlance and they are constantly trying to make things “hyggeligt” (hoo-ga-leet).

This word is more than a word, it’s a feeling. It’s that feeling you have when you are so content that the moment becomes truly yours.

While I only became aware of this word in 2009 while studying in Copenhagen during the spring semester of my junior year at Muhlenberg College, I’ve been lucky enough to have always known this feeling. From roasting chestnuts by the fire as a kid with my sister, mom, dad and wheaten pup (Jakey) while watching a movie; or, as an adult, waking up in my sunlit bedroom with my toddler snuggling next to us asking for “moolk” (milk); or, making big dinners with friends and staying for so long that we aren’t sure whether to just sleep on the couch or make the trek home.

I started this blog before the pandemic, as a single person living in Brooklyn, New York.

Five years later, and I’m married, I have a toddler named Rye (she’s a wild perfect maniac) and a baby boy on the way, living in Miami Beach. Life – and coziness – look a lot different that they used to. Becoming a mom gave me so much clarity of what is truly important in life: my family, friends who are family, doing good, and being grateful. If you are privileged enough to be able to focus on those things, you sure as hell better recognize it, lean into it, and do what you can to create a world so others can live similarly.

This blog is a place where I will share with you the things that, cumulatively, curate my feelings of hygge. And,  I will also grapple with how to be an anti-racist because we don’t get to hide away from the hard parts of life and exploit the cozy parts of it.

I strive to be the mom my kids need; to never take for granted my healthy, romantic relationship; to maintain strong, intimate friendships; to be informed about and active in our cultural and political world; to create my own calm; and, to maintain a healthy, while well-fed, physical and mental body.

I hope you find a little bit of hygge here with me and perhaps discover your own.

Photo by: Eduard Militaru