We hear a lot about being grateful, giving thanks, gratitude lists, and silver linings.
But what if you just aren’t feeling it?
How about creating a hygge calendar? I read about this in a Facebook group.
Make a list of things to be mindful about, a way to help get out of the doldrums and into a feeling of calm, care, and positivity.
Pay attention to one item each day.
Personalize your calendar and use it as advent calendar, or as a way of looking at old things in a new way.
Hygge: A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture.
Hygge Advent Calendar ideas, or a list of how to create a feeling of coziness:
1. Light a candle during meals.
2. Chalk a friendly greeting on a sidewalk.
3. Share an uplifting poem or a story with friends.
4. Bundle up and sit outside in the evening with twinkle lights.
5. Read children’s books about Christmas and winter.
6. Drive around and look at Christmas lights
7. Hold or look at an item that belonged to a beloved family member, or a beloved friend.
8. Phone a family member or a friend, just to say hello. Talk about a fun or memorable event you shared.
9. Make something, it could be a baked item or a craft item.
10. Sit outside for ten minutes and look at trees.
11. Write a thank you note or a note just to say “Hi, I’m thinking about you.” Mail it!
12. Boil cinnamon and orange peels to make the house smell good.
13. Turn off all lights except for a candle or two (recommend battery operated). Get comfy under a warm blanket. Sit with the quiet.
14. Look at family photos.
15. Send a donation or donate your time to helping others.
16. Make a nest of pillows and read a familiar and cozy book.
17. Stand at a window and gaze at the view.
18. Donate money or food to a food bank.
19. Make paper snowflakes.
20. Spend some time with a neighborhood pet.
21. Take a few, deep, nourishing breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out.
22. Soak feet in mineral salts while listening to music.
23. Zoom into GROOVE dance with Diane Dupuis, Yoga with Adrienne, Feldenkrais, Insight Timer meditation.
24. Write, using prompts from The Write Spot Blog.
Thank you, Susan Lawrence, a speech therapist, in Los Angeles for this inspiration. Susan created her Hygge advent calendar by making a heart shaped wall hanging with pieces of gold paper, each one has a cozy activity written on it and placed in the pockets randomly.
