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What reminds you of the holidays? For me, it’s always the smell of gingerbread that takes me back to my mom’s kitchen, where she would roll out handmade dough and cut out gingerbread people to give as gifts.
As I’m writing this, the scent of cinnamon fills my office from a candle on my desk. Our living room smells like pine, courtesy of the balsam fir tree in the corner, which we bought at a grocery store of all places (since among 2020’s wonders is a national Christmas tree shortage that had us driving around to five empty tree lots before we ended up at the store, which in a very un-2020 twist gave us the freshest, cheapest and most perfectly shaped tree we’ve ever had).
This year, when we’re more inside than outside, I’m increasingly aware of emotional holiday triggers, like the scent of fresh trees and cookies baking, the dampness of a cold rainy day, and the warmth from a quiet fire.
It’s the feeling inherent in the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), a feeling of cozy contentment that’s all the rage this year. Hygge evokes an aspirational ambiance that many of us are living right now, an invitation to breathe deep and enjoy a season unlike any holiday before.
So if you need me I’ll be right here, curled up under a hand-knitted blanket, sipping hot chocolate and gazing upon a grocery-store Christmas tree. Living hygge the best way I can.