Why Christmas is the most hygge time of year
In Denmark, December is the cosiest month of the year. Candles burn in every window, families gather around the table and the long dark evenings become something to enjoy rather than endure. A hygge Christmas is about warmth, togetherness and simple pleasures, not doing more.
If Christmas usually leaves you frazzled, these 12 ideas will help you slow down and enjoy it. As Gransnet’s guide to Scandinavian Christmas hygge explains, it’s easy to make these traditions part of your own.
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12 ways to have a hygge Christmas
1. Light candles in every window
Walk through any Danish town in December and you’ll see candles and soft lights glowing in the windows. It makes the street feel friendly and your home feel warm. LED window candles are a safe choice if you have children or pets.
Your 15-minute hygge moment: Light every candle in the room.
2. Choose simple Scandinavian decorations
Hygge Christmas decorations are natural and understated: straw stars, wooden hearts, paper decorations and red and white. Scandinavian straw decorations (affiliate link) look beautiful on a real tree and last for years.
3. Make woven paper hearts
Danish families make julehjerter, woven paper hearts, at the kitchen table each December. They’re simple, calming to make and lovely hung on the tree or filled with sweets. Shetland Wool Adventures shares more gentle ways to bring the spirit of hygge into Christmas preparations.
4. Bring the outside in
Fir branches in a jug, a wreath on the door, pine cones in a bowl and dried orange slices on a string. Natural greenery smells wonderful and costs almost nothing if you gather it on a winter walk.
5. Hang knitted stockings
Red and white Nordic knitted stockings (affiliate link) add texture and tradition to the fireplace or the end of the bed. Fill them with small, useful things like wool socks, a candle or a hand-knitted headband.
6. Make gløgg, Danish mulled wine
Gløgg is warm, spiced wine with raisins and almonds, served in small glasses through December. Make a pot for friends, or a non-alcoholic version with blackcurrant juice. Let the smell of cinnamon and cloves fill the house.
7. Bake something together
Danish Christmas means æbleskiver (round pancake puffs), vanilla biscuits and gingerbread. Baking together slows everyone down. A cast iron æbleskiver pan (affiliate link) makes a fun new tradition.
Your 15-minute hygge moment: Bake something that makes the whole house smell good.
8. Give fewer, more thoughtful gifts
Hygge Christmas gifts are cosy and useful: candles, blankets, books and games to play together. The Hygge Game (affiliate link) is perfect for Christmas Day, when everyone is around the table and in no rush to leave.
9. Keep Christmas Eve slow
Danes celebrate on Christmas Eve with a long dinner and dancing around the tree. Whatever your traditions, keep one evening free of rushing. Light the candles, put on music and let the evening unfold.
10. Visit a Christmas market in Copenhagen
For a pre-Christmas treat, Copenhagen’s markets at Tivoli Gardens and Nyhavn glow with lights and smell of gløgg and roasted almonds. Stay somewhere small and cosy: browse boutique hotels in Copenhagen (affiliate link).
11. Spend Christmas in a Lapland cabin
For the ultimate hygge Christmas, swap the rush for snow, silence and a log cabin in Finnish Lapland. Around Rovaniemi you can go husky sledding by day, look for the Northern Lights at night, and come back to a crackling fire. Browse cabins in Rovaniemi, Lapland (affiliate link), and book early, because December fills up fast.
12. Enjoy the quiet days after Christmas
The days between Christmas and New Year are made for hygge: leftovers, new books, long walks and no plans. Embrace them. You’ll find more ideas for the dark months in Winter Hygge: Cosy Rituals for the Darkest Months.
Your 15-minute hygge moment: Have a nothing day, no errands, no plans.
A gentler Christmas
A hygge Christmas isn’t a perfect Christmas. It’s one where you notice the candlelight, enjoy the people around you and let go of the things that don’t matter. Simply Scandi has more hygge tips for decorating and spending time with the people you love.
More cosy reads: 10 hygge advent calendar ideas, 15 hygge gift ideas and 12 cosy hygge recipes and meals.
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