Happy Hygge!

Those of us in the U.S. have one of my favorite holidays this week — Thanksgiving! I love the focus on gathering with those we love, the lack of pressure to make it epic (at least for the kids), and of course, the best part… the food! I could eat Thanksgiving food once a week, if it weren’t so time-consuming to prepare.

We’re taking the week off to quiet the blog and podcast, so instead of new stuff, we’re sharing with you some of our hygge favorites from the archives, below. Enjoy them while sipping a favorite something… snuggled under a blanket by a fire, optional.

Advent

• New to Advent? Listen to our podcast episodes for the backstory. Start with Episode #163, then continue on with #165 and #167.
• For a more relaxed Advent season, do these tasks in advance. (Advent begins Sunday, December 2. Plenty of time!)
• Try a new tradition: Celebrate Advent in community.

Family & Traditions

• Settle in for a classic read-aloud holiday story
• Host a simple gathering with friends
• Five ways to handle the “I want that!” phenomenon with kids this time of year
• Some simple ways to have a more eco-friendly celebration
• Gift-wrap ideas that don’t require new wrapping paper
• Road-tripping with family during the holidays
• Experience Christmas in Japan, China, Turkey and more as Stephanie and I share our overseas holiday memories.
• How to handle well-meaning gift givers
• A conversation between Erin and I about how to celebrate the holidays without guilt
• The story behind the real 12 Days of Christmas
• Remembering the historical Santa Claus on St. Nicholas Day

Food & Entertaining

• Five simple drinks for the holidays that are not eggnog
• Interested in hosting a cookie swap but don’t know how? Follow Aimée’s step-by-step instructions.
• Speaking of Christmas cookies: Here’s how to make them a little healthier.
• My favorite Christmas music with playlists for reflection, a dinner party, and any time you need a yuletide soundtrack
• A simple holiday activity for the whole family
• It’s the most wonderful time of year! Let’s keep it that way without feeling the need to do All The Things. Stephanie and I share our simple (but different) approaches.

Self-Care

• Practice the Danish art of coziness and bring a little hygge into your life and home.
• Holiday gifts to give yourself now that you’ll thank yourself for later
• Try these simple solutions during a complicated season
• A holiday book chat where I share the story I read nearly every year
• “The very thing that makes the holidays so meaningful for many of us can be exactly what brings up painful memories and experiences.”  Crystal shares a couple of ways to care for yourself (and others) when the holidays are a time of grief.
• And Katherine writes about making space for the melancholy before the merry.

And one last thing:

In the midst of the holidays, savor the non-holidayness too.