Excerpt From "The Little Book Of Hygge" By Meik Wiking.

INTRODUCTION Hooga? Hhyooguh? Heurgh? It is not important how you choose to  pronounce or even spell hygge. To To paraphrase one of the greatest   philosophers of our time—Winnie-the-Pooh—when asked how to spell a certain emotion e motion !"ou !"ou don#t spell it you feel it.$  However, spelling and pronouncing hygge is the easy part. Eplaining eactly what it is, that!s the tric"y part. Hygge has #een called everything $ro% &the art o$ creating inti%acy,' &co(iness o$ the soul,' and &the a#sence o$ annoyance,' to &ta"ing pleasure $ro% the presence o$ soothing things,' &co(y togetherness,' and %y personal $avorite, &cocoa #y candlelight'. Hygge is a#out an at%osphere and an eperience, rather than a#out things. It is a#out #eing with the people we love. ) $eeling o$ ho%e. ) $eeling that we are sa$e, that we are shielded $ro% the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down. *ou *ou %ay #e having an endless conversation a#out the s%all or #ig things in li$e+or ust #e co%$orta#le in each other!s silent co%pany+ or si%ply ust #e #y yoursel$ enoying a cup o$ tea. One Dece%#er ust #e$ore Christ%as, I was spending the wee"end wee"end with so%e $riends at an old ca#in. The shortest day o$ the year was #rightened #y the #lan"et o$ snow covering the surrounding landscape. -hen the sun set, around $our in the a$ternoon, we would not see it again $or seventeen hours, and we headed inside to get the re going. -e were all tired a$ter hi"ing and were hal$ asleep, sitting in a se%icircle around the replace in the ca#in, wearing #ig sweaters and woolen soc"s.  The only sounds you could hear were were the stew #oiling, the spar"s $ro% $ro% the replace, and so%eone having a sip o$ %ulled wine. Then one o$ %y $riends #ro"e the silence. &Could this #e any %ore hygge/' he as"ed rhetorically. &*es,' one o$ the wo%en said a$ter a %o%ent. &I$ there was a stor% raging outside.' -e all nodded.