"The rain was drumming against the windows, the wind a distant whistle as Joe snuggled under a rug, a hot-water bottle clutched to his chest, chocolate buttons melting in his mouth, the beer flowing freely. There was something to be said for Clara's hygge theory; staying in really was the new going out. He felt his body relax into the sofa, the whole world outside the flat dissolve away so that it was just him in his snug space with a DVD for company."
Rosie Blake's The Hygge Holiday has been sitting prettily on the bookcase in my study since the springtime but I didn't want to read it until it was more seasonally appropriate. When I woke up today, the wind howling and the rain lashing against the window-panes, I knew that the time had come.
It was one of those days where I woke up feeling like I needed a cosy day of restfulness to recharge my batteries. I grabbed my umbrella and walked to the shops to pick up a few treats and when I got home, I got straight back into my pj's and grabbed this book, settling under the duvet for a day-long stint of reading.
As the day never brightened, I dotted the room with burning candles, set my festive fireside ambient dvd playing on a loop, switched on all the Christmas fairy-lights and mulled some toffee-cider. It's been lovely and cosy - perfect for reading this novel which is all about the benefits and charm of hygge, or the Scandinavian art of being cosy.
I first came across the concept of hygge back in 2010 at an A-HA concert, where I got chatting to a group of Norwegian girls. They had brought the snow with them that year and we were laughing at how a slight flurry of snowflakes sets the UK off in a panic, while in Norway people just accept that everything will take a bit longer when the snow comes. They are not expected to crack on with the daily grind as normal, but instead they slow down and take their time getting to work and back, or they have snow days. They told me about hygge and I realized I'd been doing it for years, I just hadn't realized that there was a name for being as cosy as possible! I've been reading books about hygge ever since.
The Hygge Holiday begins in the autumn when Danish tourist Clara arrives in the tiny village of Yulethorpe. Here the last local shop is about to close down and Clara offers to help run the place until a buyer can be found in the hopes that she can turn the toy-shop around in time for the Christmas rush. All is going well until the proprietor's son, Joe, comes up from London, determined to push the sale through.
Joe works in The City and is always stressed, tired and worn out. When he meets Clara, a woman who likes slow-cooked meals, long walks at sunset and scented candles in all rooms, he thinks she's a tad crazy, but slowly the hygge life begins to appeal to him.
While there are no great surprises in the story-line of this novel and it is fairly predictable, it is a lovely romance, full of seasonal cheer and it will leave you feeling very festive. Yes, it's bog-standard chick-lit, but at this time of year I do love a good Christmas romance and the chick-lit genre has many to choose from, with a happy ending guaranteed. This one gets bonus points for the dreamy pink and gold cover art!
The Hygge Holiday is like a manifesto for the benefits of slow-living, which I am naturally draw to on account of my thyroid illness. The fact that slowing down and reading a book all day, while nibbling on festive treats and sipping hot chocolate or mulled cider has fast become a bit of a trend is great news for me. I hate the busy,busy,busy lifestyle we are frequently pushed into, the expectation that we are constantly on call, forever reachable via mobile phones and email, that time at home is viewed as being less important than time at work - it's a recipe for high stress and little joy. I prefer to live a life of much joy and little stress. Slow-living and duvet days give me just that and keep me being productive.
So if, like poor Joe, you've been running the 9-5 rat-race all week and you want to relax in a way that will make you feel all festive and ready for the Yuletide season, The Hygge Holiday is the perfect novel to curl up with this winter. Don't forget the mulled cider and a faux fur throw.
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