This blog post is coming to you from a bunker, buried deep in the ground, filled with supplies to see us through the worst of the coming storm.

You see, the Met Office have predicted snow across the country (even warning of something called ‘thundersnow’, which sounds a bit like a low budget ‘80s superhero) later today, and in true British fashion, we groaned.

Britain, particularly in the south-east, grinds to a halt at the mere mention of snow – all it takes is a light dusting, barely a couple of millimetres, to send us into a frenzy. The result of this is that we have become a rather cynical nation, a wistful people who loathe winter, with all its short overcast days and seemingly perpetual night.

However, we hope to spread some joy, a glimmer of happiness that comes from the Danes, who suffer far worse winters than us yellow-bellied Englanders and yet seem to come out of it unscathed, and in most cases, better off. This is partly down to a concept, a way of life, known as hygge. Hygge basically means ‘cosiness’ but the true meaning has been debated for a while, with plenty of books dedicated to the subject, but we’re just going to go with ‘cosiness’ for now as it’s exactly what we need right now, down here in our damp and leaky winter bunker.

So here it is, your daily dose of hygge to help steer you clear of the winter blues. Whether there’s a blizzard raging outside, or you just fancy a little pick-me-up, have a shifty at this:

Our 7 favourite hygge quotes and images:

‘To be in a situation characterised by hygge is to be in a state of pleasant well-being and security, with a relaxed frame of mind and an open enjoyment of the immediate situation in all its small pleasures – a state one achieves most often with close members of one’s social network in a home-like setting.’ – Judith Friedman Hansen

‘The simple hearth of the small farm is the true center of our universe.‘ – Masanobu Fukuoka

“Besides, the kettle was aggravating and obstinate. It wouldn’t allow itself to be adjusted on the top bar; it wouldn’t hear of accommodating itself kindly to the knobs of coal; it would lean forward with a drunken air and dribble, a very Idiot of a kettle, on the hearth. It was quarrelsome, and hissed and spluttered morosely at the fire. To sum up all, the lid, resisting Mrs. Peerybingle’s fingers, first of all turned topsy-turvey, and then with an ingenious pertinacity deserving of a better cause, dived sideways in – down to the very bottom of the kettle. And the hull of the Royal George has never made half the monstrous resistance to coming out of the water, which the lid of that kettle employed against Mrs. Peerybingle, before she got it up again. It looked sullen and pig-headed enough, even then: carrying its handle with an air of defiance, and cocking its spout pertly and mockingly at Mrs. Peerybingle as if it said, “I won’t boil. Nothing shall induce me!” – Charles Dickens, The Cricket On The Hearth.

‘I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream… I know how the nuts taken in conjunction with winter apples, cider, and doughnuts, make old people’s tales and old jokes sound fresh and crisp and enchanting.‘ – Mark Twain

‘A house is no home unless it contain food and fire for the mind as well as for the body.‘ – Margaret Fuller

‘People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.’ – Anton Chekhov

‘In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.‘ – Albert Camus

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