"Hygge"

Here in Denmark I have the feeling that Christmas spirit fills the streets as soon as Halloween is over. The towns seems to shine even brighter every day as there are more and more lights put up. As you walk in the streets you can litteraly see candlelight in every living room, people enjoying the afternoon at home, drinking a lot of coffee, eating cake & cookies, spending time with their loved ones and making the best out of the Danish winter days. To me all those small things seem to counteract the heavy cold, the storms, the steady rain and especially the darkness. Actually I have to say that it works pretty well. Surprisingly I have never even once felt depressed by the Danish weather so far. I basically just started to enjoy every sunshine that touches my skin and every hour of light and every cup of warm coffee. All this is part of a feeling that the Danes call "hygge". It is really hard to describe the meaning of it. You just can't translate it with in one word. And even if I wrote a book about it - it is something you have to experience. It is about spending time together with the people you like to be with, inviting friends (or a stranger) for a cup of coffee, sitting next to a fire, spending an afternoon in your living room, being wrapped into your blanket and a lot more... It is kind of a special "coziness" that plays a big role in the life of the Danes in every season - but especially in the wintertime. It makes people happier, draws them closer to each other, makes their homes nicer and helps to get through the winterdays. It is one of the things that enables Denmark to be one of the happiest nations on earth. It is one of the things that I really enjoy and appreaciate. It is one of the things that I will definitly try to bring with me when I get back to Germany.