Category: Hygge Seasonal

Cosy moments for every season

Most people think of hygge as candles and blankets in the depths of winter. But seasonal hygge is about enjoying each time of year for what it is. Autumn hygge means crunchy leaves and warm drinks. Summer hygge means long light evenings, picnics and bare feet on the grass.

As NPR puts it, hygge is a way of embracing rest and cosiness whatever the weather. Here are six ideas for autumn and six for summer, so you can feel cosy all year round.

This post contains affiliate links, marked “(affiliate link)”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

6 autumn hygge ideas

1. Go looking for the first changing leaves

Autumn hygge starts outdoors. Wrap up, take a walk and look for the first golden and red leaves. Kick through a pile if nobody’s watching. Fresh air and colour do wonders for your mood as the days get shorter.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Go looking for the first changing leaves.

2. Bring a little autumn indoors

Collect conkers, pine cones and a few colourful leaves and arrange them in a bowl or jar. Add a seasonal scent too: a natural reed diffuser (affiliate link) in a warm, spicy scent makes the whole house feel like autumn.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Bring a little autumn indoors.

3. Light candles as soon as it gets dark

When the clocks go back, make lighting candles your signal that the day is winding down. Natural beeswax candles (affiliate link) give a soft honey glow that suits autumn perfectly.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Light candles the moment it gets dark.

4. Swap to cosier bedding and layers

Autumn is the time to bring out the thicker duvet, a chunky knit throw (affiliate link) and your favourite jumpers. Loop Cashmere’s season of hygge is full of ideas for embracing the cooler days.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Swap your bedding for something cosier.

5. Make a warm autumn drink

Spiced apple, chai or a proper hot chocolate. Pour it into a big mug, find a window and watch the rain. Sitting by a window with a warm drink is one of the cards in my 15 minute hygge moments deck.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Make a warm autumn drink.

6. Be gentle with yourself as the light fades

Shorter days can bring lower moods. Hygge can help: warm light, time with friends and getting outside in daylight all make a difference. The Therapy for Women Center and Erin Harings both explain how hygge may help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If low mood lasts, do speak to your GP.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Layer up and sit outside.

6 summer hygge ideas

7. Have a picnic, even in your own garden

Summer hygge is all about eating outdoors. Spread a blanket, bring simple food and stay until the light goes. A wicker picnic basket (affiliate link) makes it feel like an occasion.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Have a picnic, even in your own garden.

8. Watch a sunset from start to finish

Long summer evenings are made for slowing down. Find a spot with a view, take a drink and watch the whole sunset without your phone. It’s one of the simplest and most calming summer hygge rituals.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Watch a sunset from start to finish.

9. Hang festoon lights outside

Candlelight works outdoors too. Solar festoon lights (affiliate link) and a few lanterns turn a patio, balcony or garden into a summer hygge spot for long evenings.

10. Bring summer hygge into your home

Swap heavy throws for light linen, fill jars with garden flowers and open the windows wide. How to Hygge the British Way has lovely tips for keeping your home cosy but fresh in summer.

11. Sleep under canvas

Camping is summer hygge at its best: a campfire, stars overhead and nowhere to be. Read how to bring hygge to your next camping trip and my guide to the perfect cosy campfire setup.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Sleep under canvas for one night.

12. Sit in the garden with no agenda

Take your morning coffee or evening tea outside and just sit. Listen to the birds, feel the sun on your face and let your mind wander. Fifteen minutes is enough to reset a busy day.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Sit in the garden, no agenda.

Hygge all year round

Seasonal hygge is really about noticing what each season gives you and enjoying it, rather than wishing it away. Brown Health writes about using hygge to learn to love winter, and the same idea works for every time of year.

For the colder months, read winter hygge: cosy rituals for the darkest months and how to create a hygge moment this autumn. Planning a getaway? See my cosy hygge holidays.

More cosy reads: Hygge Christmas: 12 cosy ways to slow down this December, 12 cosy hygge recipes and meals and 10 cosy knitwear pieces for a hygge wardrobe.

Want more cosy ideas like these? Subscribe to my newsletter below and get new hygge ideas and 15-minute hygge moments straight to your inbox.

A slower way to count down to Christmas

In Denmark, advent is one of the most hygge times of the year. Families light a candle each evening, gather around an advent wreath on Sundays and enjoy the build-up to Christmas slowly. A hygge advent calendar isn’t about chocolate. It’s about a small moment of calm each day in December.

As this lovely piece on advent in Denmark describes, the short, dark days are exactly why these traditions matter. Here are 10 hygge advent calendar ideas to try this year.

This post contains affiliate links, marked “(affiliate link)”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

10 hygge advent calendar ideas

1. A Danish calendar candle

The kalenderlys is a tall candle marked with the numbers 1 to 24. Each evening you burn it down to the next day’s number. It’s the simplest and most hygge advent calendar of all, and it gives you a few quiet minutes of candlelight every night. Find a numbered advent candle (affiliate link).

2. An advent wreath for the four Sundays

The Danish adventskrans holds four candles, one lit each Sunday of advent. Make your own with fir branches, moss and white candles, or start with a simple advent candle holder (affiliate link). Sunday evenings become a little celebration.

3. A refillable wooden advent calendar

A wooden refillable advent calendar (affiliate link) becomes part of your family’s Christmas for years. Fill the drawers with small things: a chocolate, a note, a sprig of rosemary or a tealight.

4. A hygge moments calendar

Instead of a treat, open a small cosy activity each day: drink hot chocolate by candlelight, ring a friend, take a winter walk. My 100 Days of Hygge Habits card deck is perfect for this. Pull one card a day through December, and you’ll have plenty left for the new year.

5. A Danish gift calendar on Sundays

Many Danish families give a small present on each advent Sunday rather than every day. It’s less pressure and more special. Think wool socks, a new mug, a book or a hand-knitted headband.

6. A book advent calendar

Wrap a book for each Sunday, or 24 short picture books for little ones, and read together each evening by lamplight. Second-hand and library books work beautifully. My list of the best hygge books has ideas for grown-ups.

7. A tea or hot chocolate advent calendar

A different warm drink each day turns the countdown into a daily pause. A tea advent calendar (affiliate link) makes a lovely gift too.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Have a proper cup of tea, sat down, no multitasking.

8. A knitting advent calendar

For knitters, a yarn advent calendar gives you a little making each day. Hobbii’s Moments of Hygge advent calendar for knitters is inspired by the Scandinavian art of cosiness. Fifteen minutes of knitting each evening is a wonderful way to wind down.

9. Sew your own fabric advent calendar

If you sew, Lewis & Irene’s Hygge Christmas advent calendar panel is a printed cotton panel you make up into pockets. Sewing it in November is a hygge project in itself, and it comes out every year after.

10. A family advent of togetherness

Some of the best advent calendars are made of time together: a weekly reflection, a candlelit meal or a walk to see the lights. The Advent and Hygge family resource from Salt Project offers a reflection for each week, and Hygge in the Early Years has gentle advent ideas for young children.

Make December slower

Whichever hygge advent calendar you choose, the magic is in the daily pause. One candle, one card or one cup of tea, enjoyed slowly, can change how the whole of December feels. For more ideas for the season, read Winter Hygge: Cosy Rituals for the Darkest Months.

Your 15-minute hygge moment: Light a candle and name what you are grateful for.

More cosy reads: Hygge Christmas: 12 cosy ways to slow down this December, 15 hygge gift ideas and 10 cosy making projects for handmade advent treats.

Want more cosy ideas like these? Subscribe to my newsletter below and get new hygge ideas and 15-minute hygge moments straight to your inbox.

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.

This post contains affiliate links, marked “(affiliate link)”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy or book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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.

Want more cosy ideas like these? Subscribe to my newsletter below and get new hygge ideas and 15-minute hygge moments straight to your inbox.

There’s a moment, somewhere around late November, when I look up and realise it’s already properly dark outside, curtains-closed dark, even though it’s barely gone four o’clock.

It catches me off guard every year. And every year I relearn the same lesson:

• Winter isn’t a season to brace against
• It’s one to lean into

That’s really what winter hygge is all about. Not fighting the dark, cold months, but finding the small, warm rituals that make them feel good to be in.

If you’ve read our post on what hygge actually means, you’ll know it’s a word that resists a neat translation. But if there’s one season that makes it click instantly, it’s this one.

So grab a blanket, put the kettle on, and let’s talk about how to make winter cosy, with genuine, doable cosy winter rituals, from now until spring.

Why Winter Hygge Matters for Your Wellbeing

Hygge shows up all year, but it was really built for winter. According to Visit Denmark, it’s about creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying life’s good things with good people:

• Candlelight in the evenings
• Cosy socks and soft layers
• Slow, unhurried conversation

Denmark knows a thing or two about long, dark winters, and hygge is essentially their answer to them.

I think that’s why it resonates so much once the clocks go back.

• There’s something honest about admitting that winter is hard on the spirit
• The days shrink and the light goes thin and grey
• Most of us feel that shift somewhere

The NHS notes that seasonal affective disorder tends to be at its worst in December, January and February. That’s proof this isn’t just in your head, or something to push through with sheer willpower.

Cosy Winter Rituals to Try

Here are the small, repeatable habits that make the biggest difference once the nights draw in.

A Fifteen-Minute Hygge Ritual

You don’t need a free evening to feel the benefit of hygge. You need about fifteen minutes.

• Light a candle
• Make something warm to drink
• Sit somewhere comfortable
• Let fifteen minutes pass without reaching for your phone

I wrote before about how one small daily pause quietly changed how I move through my days. It sounds almost too small to matter, but there’s a reason I keep coming back to it, and a reason it helped me find my way back to myself on the days that felt heaviest.

How to Make Winter Cosy With Candlelight

Danish homes lean hard into candlelight through winter, and once you try it, you understand why. There’s a softness to a flickering flame that no overhead bulb can match. It slows the room down, somehow, just by being there.

• Cluster a few candles on a windowsill or coffee table
• Light them in the late afternoon, right as the daylight fades
• Use it as your personal signal that the day is shifting into evening

Wrap Yourself in Texture

Winter hygge is a season you feel as much as you see.

• Chunky knits
• Soft throws
• Wool socks that have gone slightly bobbly from being worn too often

There’s a particular comfort in something hand-made, whether that’s a jumper thrown over the back of the sofa or a knitted piece you carry your everyday small things in, like these handbags, made for exactly these slower, softer moments.

Get Outside Anyway

Even a short walk at lunchtime, even under flat winter light, does something a warm room can’t.

• Time in nature has genuine, science-backed benefits for how we feel
• A midday walk catches what little daylight is on offer
• It doesn’t need to be long to make a difference

If a full camping trip feels like a stretch this time of year, our guide to a perfect day of camping in the UK has plenty of ideas that scale down neatly into a brisk winter outing, flask of tea included.

Build a Fire, However You Can

There’s nothing more hygge than fire.

• A real fireplace is winter’s moment to shine
• No fireplace? Recreate the atmosphere indoors with low lighting, warm drinks and a blanket
• Use the same principles from our cosy campfire setup guide

The fire is really just an excuse to slow down and stay a while.

Let Meals Take Their Time

Some of the best hygge happens around a table.

• No fancy dinner party needed, just a slower, unhurried meal
• Phones away, people you like being around
• Read more on how time together like this deepens relationships

The same magic works just as well around a kitchen table in December as it does around a campfire in July.

A Few Quiet, Mindful Moments

You don’t need a whole mindfulness routine to feel the benefit of pausing.

• Notice your breath while the kettle boils
• Sit by a window with your tea and nothing else
• Let a few minutes pass with no agenda at all

A handful of the mindful activities we’ve shared before translate beautifully into a winter evening at home.

Keep It Gentle on the Planet, Too

Cosy doesn’t have to mean wasteful.

• Reusable candles
• Natural fibres
• A little more mindfulness about what you bring into your home

It all fits the spirit of hygge just as well as it fits our thinking on making outdoor life more sustainable. Slow living and sustainable living tend to walk hand in hand.

Simple Winter Wellbeing Ideas Worth Trying This Week

• Trade one evening of scrolling for fifteen candlelit minutes of quiet
• Take a short walk at midday, just to catch what daylight there is
• Set the table properly, just once, for a slow meal with someone you love
• Wrap yourself in something knitted as your personal signal to slow down

Take Your Hygge Moments With You

The nicest thing about winter hygge is that it doesn’t have to stay indoors. These small rituals travel well:

• To a coffee shop table
• On a wintery walk
• Into an evening with friends

As long as you’ve got somewhere to carry them.

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Knitted handbags for your 15-minute hygge moments

15 minutes a day to pause and reconnect is all it takes to find your calm. Hygge is the Danish art of slowing down and enjoying life’s simple moments.

These knitted handbags are made for those little hygge moments. To carry:

• A cosy jumper for an evening stargazing
• A favourite book for a quiet coffee
• The small essentials you need for slow days with family and friends, and time in nature

A cosy handbag for slower days, meaningful connections, and making space for hygge moments that matter.

Shop Now

Hygge Inspired

Inspired by time spent outdoors with family, friends, and her dog, Collette Costello’s cosy knitted handbags are rooted in the Danish concept of hygge.

Designed to bring a feeling of comfort and connection wherever life takes you, they encourage meaningful time spent with loved ones, both in nature and at home.

Why Collette Costello?

At the heart of Collette Costello is community. Every item is designed around three principles:

• Hygge moments. The handbags are created for hygge moments, encouraging the act of slowing down and spending more time in nature.
• Celebrating crafts. Each handbag is hand-knitted in the UK, making it a more ethical and sustainable choice while helping to reduce waste.
• Sustainable sources. Only sustainably sourced yarns and UK made accessories are used, helping to support local community businesses.

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Winter Hygge: Your Questions Answered

What is winter hygge? Winter hygge is the practice of bringing the Danish concept of hygge, cosiness, warmth and togetherness, into the darkest, coldest months of the year through small daily rituals like candlelight, slow meals, and quiet, unhurried moments.

How do I make my home cosy for winter?

• Swap harsh overhead lights for candles or warm lamps in the late afternoon
• Add texture with knitted throws, cushions and wool socks
• Keep a warm drink close during your quiet moments

What are some easy hygge ideas for winter?

• A fifteen-minute daily pause with candlelight
• A short midday walk for natural daylight
• An unhurried meal with someone you love
• Wrapping up in something hand-knitted as a signal to slow down

Can hygge help with winter low mood? While hygge isn’t a treatment for seasonal affective disorder, building small, comforting rituals into your day, alongside daylight exposure and staying active as recommended by the NHS, can genuinely support your winter wellbeing.

One Last Thought

Winter doesn’t need to be something we simply endure until the clocks change again. A few small, repeatable rituals can turn the darkest months into some of the cosiest, most connected ones of the year:

• Candlelight
• A slower meal
• A short walk
• Fifteen quiet minutes with your hands wrapped around something warm

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There is a particular kind of light that arrives in autumn: low, golden, and a little apologetic, as if the sun knows the days are shortening and wants to make the most of what is left.

It is the perfect season to slow down, and it is exactly the mood the Danish call hygge (pronounced “hoo-guh”): the art of finding cosiness, warmth, and contentment in life’s simple, unhurried moments.

You do not need a country cottage or a roaring fireplace to feel it. Hygge is less about where you are and more about how present you allow yourself to be. Here is how to bring a little slow, restorative warmth into your autumn days.

1. Start with 15 minutes, not a whole afternoon

Hygge does not ask for a free day; it asks for fifteen honest minutes. A short outing, such as a walk before the light fades, a quiet hot drink on the doorstep with your coat pulled tight, or taking a moment to sit under the trees, is enough to reset your mind. These small pockets of time offer powerful health benefits of being in nature, helping you pause between daily errands to enjoy the rustling leaves.

2. Bring the right things with you

Part of the magic of a hygge moment is having exactly what you need close at hand, with nothing more and nothing rummaged for. A cosy jumper for when the breeze turns sharp. A book for the quiet ten minutes before anyone else is awake. Wrapping up in natural fibre outdoor blankets or soft blanket wraps lets you stay present instead of thinking about the chill.

This is where a good bag earns its keep, not as a fashion statement, but as a quiet companion that carries the small things that make slowing down possible. You can explore our handcrafted companions in the Collette Costello shop.

3. Let your hands do something slow

Knitting, journaling, or tending a pot of herbs on the windowsill: autumn is a wonderful season for slow, tactile pursuits. Knowing a few simple ways to stay cosy and embrace the cooler weather makes time spent outdoors unhurried, comfortable, and quietly satisfying.

4. Choose warmth over polish

Hygge spaces and setups are lived in, not styled. A blanket that has actually been used. A mug with a chip in it because it is your favourite. Chase warmth and comfort over anything that looks good in a photo but does not feel good to sit in.

5. Share it, gently

Hygge is often at its best shared: a coffee with a friend, a slow Sunday with family, or a quiet evening gathered together. Spending quality time together without digital distractions improves relationships and communication, turning simple gatherings into moments of genuine connection.

6. Reconnect with simple outdoor pauses

Whether you are visiting a local park or relaxing in your garden, autumn invites quiet reflection. By spending 20 minutes outdoors reconnecting with nature, or try incorporating simple mindful activities for wellbeing like stargazing and breathwork into your routine.

Carrying Your Hygge Moments with You

At Collette Costello, our hand knitted bags and cosy accessories are made with exactly this in mind: a warm, considered place to carry the small things that make a slow moment possible, like a jumper for stargazing, a book for a quiet coffee, or the little essentials for time with the people and dogs you love.

Each piece is hand knitted in the UK from sustainably sourced yarn, so the bag itself carries a bit of that same unhurried, thoughtful care.

Why We Care About More Than Cosiness

Slowing down and getting outside provides extensive wellbeing benefits, but hygge moments matter most because they support the mental wellbeing of the people having them, and not everyone finds that easy to access. That is why we proudly support two organisations doing vital work in this space:

• Mind: A UK mental health charity offering information, advice, and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably): Working to prevent suicide and support people through difficult times across the UK.

If a cosy autumn moment is easy to come by for you, consider supporting Mind or CALM so someone else can find their own moment of calm too.

Keep Reading on the Blog

• What is Hygge and How to Bring It to Your Next Trip