30 Things To Try This Winter To Make The Season More Hygge
By: Biswajeet Das
Tags: Hygge, Things To Do, Experience, Winter, Wellness

Cozy Hygge Things To Do Inside And Outside The House While It Snows Outside.

Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.

This Hygge list is not like the usual ones which tell you to build bonfires or do some self-care. Not about lightings, aromas, decorations to make your room more hygge, or about activities like barbeques, campings, reading books, living room activities or doing home decor, etc. There are already many lists out there that tell you to do that.

I’m guessing that most of you who cherish the art of Hygge are already doing or planning to do them this winter. We can always keep doing those — I’m only adding to the list of things and activities to try out to improve the Hygge factor this winter.

I’m trying to create some yesteryears kind of experiences. I’m trying to teach people empathy through hygge, to embrace the season, to motivate them to be healthy and productive this winter while feeling hygge all the time. Generally, people get into a very lazy mode during winters. I’m trying to create a balance through hygge and this winter I’m also trying to look at Hygge from other angles apart from just being a lifestyle that enhances our own feeling of coziness and warmth. Of course, the list is made up of things and activities which most of you are already doing but might not have looked at it from a Hygge perspective. So let’s grab our coffees and wines, sit near a fire and go through this list of activities to do this winter to add more Huge to our lives while it’s snowing outside —

Don’t stay inside when it’s very cold outside.

Yes, you hear me right. Being able to experience the icy cold winds, misty mornings and cold snowy or windy nights ❄are very important to feel the winter season.

When you come back to your cozy houses after experiencing the cold weather you will feel a priceless feeling of warmth which will be far more hygge than the warm hygge feeling you experience while staying inside all day long. The smell of smoke coming out of bonfires, the smell of the snow, of chestnuts roasting from some house you passed by in the neighborhood, flowers, and trees. You will miss them if you sit at home all day. You will feel fresh and at the same time very cozy once you come back from outside. So make a list of things you’ll do outside when it’s really cold. Here is my list — jogging, outdoor workouts, a long walk in the woods, gardening, going to the market, and not relying too much on online shopping.

2. Get yourself an old model Radio.

Old radios give us a feeling of nostalgia. The noise which comes out of them when there is a bad network, the simple and unsophisticated, and often not very convincing sounds add to the hygge experience. In the early days, radio stations filled their air time with orchestra music, poetry readers, singers, and preachers. If you want a similar experience buy an old radio and subscribe to some channel which vintage stuff. Listen to old radio podcasts and cozy songs while you’re relaxing in your bedroom, in the living room, while sipping some tea, coffee, or wine.

3. Learn to make wooden toys at home.

Wood, I think is one of the most Hygge material that exists. Its smell, its texture, and everything else about it. Get yourself a woodworking kit and become like Mister Gepetto from ‘The Adventures Of Pinnochio' and start building some antique wooden toys and decorative pieces. You can decorate them, sell them online, or gift them to poor kids on the streets. Doing some woodwork will also be a good form of exercise plus it will keep your body warm. Keep listening to some cozy music at a very low volume while sipping your wine or coffee as you build those toys.

4. Get yourself a telescope. Do some stargazing.

Peeping through a telescope to see the beautiful night sky on a cold ❄ winter night with sounds of cold winds blowing and you’re wearing your woolen clothes, standing by an open bonfire lit in the middle of a meadow or by the window from the comfort of your living room or your bedroom with a small fire burning in the chimney beside you. Sounds like some nice hyggyeing idea right? Add some music to it, some roasted nuts and some coffee or some wine. What else do you need?

5. Write some nice handwritten letters.

There is hygge in keeping in touch with people. This winter let’s try writing letters which are our old school version of Messenger or Whatsapp. Write letters to your loved ones. Write them to people whom you have met on social media whom you never met personally. Add small gifts with them if you feel like it — a rose, a toy, or some book to read during winter. Spread some good vibes, some love.

6. Take cold water baths.

Other than the health benefits cold water baths can in fact make you feel warmer later. The extreme cold you experience while bathing is worth it. Wear some woolen clothes, get under a blanket, and sit near a fire sipping a cup of coffee after your bath. You’ll feel hygge. By the way, you don’t need to try something like the guy in the picture. Unless you really wish to do so.

7. Stay awake for some time late at midnight.

Deep in the cold winter midnight when it’s snowing outside, sounds of howling winds, sounds of window panes rattling and you’re sitting on a comfortable rocking chair near a crackling fire burning in the chimney of your candle lit living room reading a book while listening to some cozy old song drinking some wine. You can even watch a movie, some cartoons or knit a sweater. How is that?

8. Wake up real early.

Most of us won’t like the idea of waking up real early during cold winter mornings when you don’t have any work to do or college to attend. But waking up really early has its own hygge benefits. Think of the early morning radio news, the cold weather, the beautiful dawn sky, and sounds of little birds sleepily chirping in the trees and distant dogs barking and scenes of unquenched roadside bonfires through your window. You wear your woolens and get out of your house for a jog and see the dawn sky slowly changing into a white morning sky and come back having a cup of tea from the roadside tea stall and picking up the daily newspaper, some eatables for breakfast on your way home. Better than waking up in the afternoon?

9. Make yourself and your loved one’s sweaters.

Knitting is already a very common hygge activity which people usually do during winters. I still added it to the list just to tell you how you can hygge your knitting experience even more. Spread the love by knitting soft toys and sweaters for your loved ones and the needy people. You can also knit old Walt Disney character toys like Pinnochio, Mickey mouse, Jiminy cricket, etc. Write knitting blogs or teach your young one how to knit. Spread warmth and love with some wool.

10. Watch some very old cartoons.

Very old cartoons are peaceful and very soothing to watch in winters especially in the early morning hours or late at night. They make us nostalgic. The cozy background music they use, the emotional connection they make with us is enough to make us feel hygge.

11. Keep a window open.

Watch the cold breeze, the howling winds to blow. Watch the snow falling, feel it with your hands. Watch the beautiful winter night sky. Let the wind shake the window panes and make some rattling sounds. Feel the winter. Look far into the lonely winter streets. Keep yourself warm by wearing some woolens, listening to some cozy music, and having some warm food like a glass of wine with cheese. Do anything to keep warm but please let the winds blow. But keep a window open.

12. Prepare healthy soups.

Soups are healthy and warm. Have soup at any time in the day. Even at midnight sitting by the fire listening to music or just the crackling sound of wood burning in the chimney. Experiment making different types of delicious soups.

13. Opera and other old classical forms of music.

Listening to some soothing opera can add a classy touch to the ambiance of the room and can enhance the hygge feeling. Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, and Maria Callas are a few I picked up for you to listen to. On a cold winter day, you can try listening to them while you’re indoors lying on the bed or sitting comfortably in your living room near the fireplace sipping some coffee or wine. And if you’re a Mozart or Beethoven fan you can listen to them too or some old soothing Christmas, blues, or jazz songs. But you’re free to listen to anything which makes you feel cozy and create your own hygge ambiance this winter.

14. Travel by train.

If you’ve watched Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone you must have already seen the scene where Harry travels by train to Hogwarts through beautiful snowy mountains. The train looked very cozy inside with dim lights lit inside and everyone was dressed in winter outfits as it was winter. There was a scene in which a lady came to sell some candies.

You too can have a similar train journey and experience Hygge while journeying to some cold place this winter. Grab your flasks, fill them with coffee or tea, wear your sweaters and shawls, take with you your radio, some board games to have a merry time journeying by a train this winter.

15. Help a needy person to survive the harsh winter.

Gift a needy person some delicious warm food to eat, a shawl, a jacket or a sweater to wear, something to drink, and if possible provide him/her some shelter to survive this harsh winter. Buy him/her a radio too if you want to. Treat them exactly the way you want to treat yourself this winter. Spend time with him at his place even if it is on the streets. Or get him to your place which will be warmer. If you do these for some needy person you’ll feel very warm and happy inside. That’s hygge too. Hygge increases when you spread it.

16. Eat a poor man’s diet.

While most of us are gorging on delicious food during winter of the holiday season. There are people who sleep hungry or very little food. Let’s try eating like a poor man by following a poverty diet with a very minimum budget this winter. No, it’s not for saving money but to be able to empathize and feel how the poor must be feeling without food this winter. We can also try doing long intermittent fasts and eat foods that are very cheaply available — potatoes, beans, rice, etc. Let's practice mindfulness while eating.

17. Watch black and white movies.

Black and white movies are very soothing to our eyes. There is simplicity in black and white movies. It makes us feel nostalgic to watch a very old movie. All Old things are hygge and are precious. They are like treasures which we like to preserve. The background music used in these movies, the sound effects, the types of scripts used, trends, and fashion during that era which we set in those movies are all from a time when we were not born. Everything has a vintage element in them. Thus these movies make us feel hygge. They take us to a past era. Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, or Charlie Chaplin are few popular actors from that era. So light up a fire, prepare some coffee, get some cookies or popcorn and watch black and white movies with your family and friends this winter while it snows outside. If you can watch them on an old school black and white television it’s even better.

18. Play old board games.

Keep away your mobile games and try playing some old board games just for a change. You must have played games like Chess, Chinese Checkers, Scrabble, Business, Monopoly or Life. You can search the internet for some new ones too and order them online or go buy them from a toy store in case they are available locally if you want to add some new games to your list. Board games get friends and family together and create a hygge atmosphere during winter. You can listen to good music, talk, laugh while you play and all of you can have a merry time sitting in your living room by the fire having popcorn and coffee while it snows outside on a winter evening.

19. Build houses for squirrels and birds.

Let’s care for all. Although these little ones live in the trees and they have their own houses, I guess they won’t mind living in some warmly built mini homes hung on trees with lots of food-filled inside them for them to eat during winter nights when it’s cold outside.

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P. S. “when it's cold” and “when it’s snowing outside” are my favorite hygge lines I’m bored of repeating again and again. From now on help me by just assuming that it’s snowing outside and it’s very windy.

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Now let’s quickly go through our last 10 things to try this winter because it’s really cold outside.

20. Use wooden crockeries.

Wood is a warm material like we already said before. Anything made out of wood gives us a hygge feeling. Holding a wooden cup of coffee will be almost every time warmer hence more hyggeyish than holding made out of plastic, porcelain, or Bone China. Wooden Crockery can be used as decorative items too. You can keep them in your cupboard or on your dining table or even hang them on your kitchen walls. Wooden cups, wooden spoons, wooden wine glass, wooden plates. It gives us visual warmth. That’s hygge.

21. Join roadside bonfires.

Standing near a roadside bonfire in the street is a great way to spend time with the public around you. You can sing songs, talk, drink tea or wine together, smoke and have a great time while you get a chance to socialize with different people. You can start one or search for one to join. Next time you walk by the street on a winter night if you are cold just ask permission and join any roadside bonfire group if you happen to see one.

22. Take an afternoon nap in the meadow.

During the day take a nap or two in the meadow. Get some Vitamin- D. Winters sun is very pleasant hence it feels very hygge to be outdoors. Lie in the hay or in the grass. Let cattle walk around you. Listen to their bells, their moos, bleats, and their baas. Let a butterfly fly past your head or sit on your nose. You can get a shawl or a blanket along with you if you feel cold. You might not need music at all unless you play it in very low volume as you can hear beautiful nature sounds in the meadow and you don’t want to miss them as they are very important parts of the hygge feeling. You can get a book to read or something warm to eat along with you.

23. Eat less.

Of course, you can feast on occasions like Christmas, Haloween, or New Year. But most of the times try to eat less and healthy. Practice mindfulness while eating, practice fasting, or eat like the Italians(Italians aren’t concerned with calories because they usually stop eating when they are full). Have fewer carbohydrates and more fresh vegetables and fruits and a minimal amount of red meat in your meals. You can pair some red wine or Vodka occasionally with some of your meals occasionally. Feeling healthy by eating healthy makes us feel good to enjoy the winter season even more. More good health means more ability to feel hygge around you during winter.

24. Spend more time with kids.

Kids are innocent. They are the ones who enjoy hygge more than anyone. They build toy houses, they build tents, plays with torch lights, they watch cartoon all the time. They live in another world. A world of Cinderella. A world of Mickey Mouse. A world where clouds are sheep and Santa Clause really exists. A world without tension and worries. Spending time with them — playing with them, cuddling inside the blanket, playing all the kiddish games with them, telling them stories, and encouraging them to explore their creative side by— making them draw, build DIY things, learn cooking, etc. It can lead to being a fun activity to be involved with kids during winters and can lead to a hygge atmosphere in your home. It will also improve parent-children bonding. You can try spending time with old people too.

25. Stay in a wooden log cabin.

Wooden cabins are very warm and cozy inside. If you have a fireplace and something to roast and eat and cozy music to listen, on a cold winter night you don’t need anything else to feel more hygge. Anything you do inside them becomes hygge. Play chess, make wooden toys, knit or do nothing or just sleep whatever you do you feel cozy in there. If you have the money to build one just build one. Or else search for one on the internet to rent one for a few days. Some holiday destinations provide this kind of houses too.

26. Spend some time at an Old age home.

Most old people in the old age home love it when they get a visitor from outside. They like to share their feelings, someone, to talk to, someone who cares. Many suffer from loneliness and that leads them to depression too. So this winter why not we visit an old age home and spend a good time with old people. Most old people become innocent like kids during the last stages of their lives, they have some warmth in them just like kids do. So spending time with them by doing activities like — playing board games, knitting, listening to their stories, singing songs near a bonfire can be really heartwarming. It will make them feel cared for and loved.

27. Feed street animals.

Hygge not only evokes coziness but it also evokes togetherness. We are not alone in this universe. There are animals too. They understand these hygge feelings too. Feeding them would evoke togetherness between them and us.

28. Make them sweaters too.

And this is how we can evoke coziness. They need to feel special and cared too.

29. More study and work.

Most people don’t study a lot during the winter but you can do the opposite this year. Surround yourself with lots of books, notebooks, sketchbooks, and all other kinds of stationery. Listen to some soft cozy music and study through midnight all the way till dawn. Get your coffees, your wines too. Use a table lamp or any source of light which creates a cozy ambiance, light up a small fire, wrap yourself up in woolens and grind through the night. This winter takes some New Year resolutions like — reading a lot of books, learning some new art, or a subject. Let’s give it to self-improvement.

30. Hibernate completely from social media for some time.

Our last thing to try this winter is to take a break from Social Media for a while this winter. If you can do this it will definitely reduce some stress, anxiety, and depression. To take a break from social media you should turn off your notifications, set time limits, and prioritize your own self-care with other activities you enjoy like spending real time with loved ones, learning a craft, playing board games, and doing more outdoor activities.

Hope you liked this list. Let me know which ones you liked and are already doing. We can come up with a bigger list next winter with more things to do.

Happy Hyggeying 🔥 🍷 ❄