Hygge [HYOO-guh] has become a cultural buzzword. When many read about this Danish practice, their shoulders lift in excitement, then fall in exhale. In a culture of rush, hygge appeals to their desire for rest – for slow living, shared moments, and fostered friendships. Hygge has strong ties to beauty, contentment, and well-being. It’s warm and inviting. Hygge is the opposite of hustle. It eschews abundance. It savors. It takes things slow and envelopes you in sanctuary. Hygge is home. When you sit in a comfy chair by the fire, that’s hygge. When you arrange a fresh bouquet of wildflowers on a bedside table, that’s hygge too. Candles, soft furnishings, natural light, fresh-baked pastries, intimate gatherings with friends – these are what come to mind when you think of hygge. But hygge can be so much more.
In Holy Hygge, author Jamie Erickson unites the popular Danish practice with the deep, theological truths of the gospel. She unpacks the seven tenets of hygge: hospitality, relationships, well-being, atmosphere, comfort, contentment, and rest. In addition, Erickson shows how the external veneer of a lifestyle can create a life-giving home only when placed under the hope of the gospel.
Holy Hygge provides practical ideas for using hygge to gather people and introduce them to faith in Christ. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, Scripture references, and a prayer.
In recent years, the Danish concept of “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah) has been embraced around the world as a way to cultivate coziness, contentment and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. While it doesn’t directly translate to English, hygge essentially means creating an atmosphere that fosters feelings of warmth, comfort and conviviality.
The hygge philosophy emphasizes cherishing ordinary, cozy moments – savoring a hot mug of tea, lighting candles, relaxing with loved ones, or enjoying nature’s beauty. It’s about being present and appreciated the small joys in life. As such, it’s a mindset perfectly suited for home hospitality.
Incorporating hygge into your home entertaining creates an enveloping embrace for guests, a simple charm that makes them feel at ease. It encourages true hosting from the heart, focused on developing connections rather than presenting a showpiece. Here are some ways to invite hygge’s special warmth into your home for visitors:
Ambiance Matters – Lighting is key for a hygge environment. Keep things softly illuminated with lamps, candles, and the flicker of a fireplace. Add plush textiles like chunky knit blankets, pillows and area rugs. Choose warm color schemes. Play low-key background music. All these elements create an aura of soothing coziness.
Nurture Nostalgia – Vintage, handcrafted or heirloom items spark feelings of nostalgia central to hygge. Incorporate them into your decor – grandma’s ceramic vase, that needlepoint pillow you made, or a restored antique dresser. Display old family photos. Offer homey treats like fresh bread or cookies. These comforting touches make guests feel sentimental and at home.
Be Present – The hygge mindset is about savoring each moment rather than stressing over hosting formalities. Tune out distractions like your phone. Talk, laugh and connect with guests on a genuine level. If you cook, embrace family-style meals around the table. Pour another glass of wine. Hygge values emotional warmth over perfection.
Share Experiences – Some of the best hygge experiences come from doing cozy activities together. Suggest a living room “hyggekrog” (nook) where everyone can lounge by the fire playing board games. Swap favorite book quotes and passages. String popcorn. Make hot toddies. These simple shareable moments create lasting hygge memories.
Ultimately, hygge home hospitality means prioritizing authenticity over artifice. It’s about helping guests feel cared for, comfortable and able to make meaningful memories. With its emphasis on simplicity, contentment and engagement, hygge offers a heartwarming path to making your next home gathering truly special.
In Holy Hygge, author Jamie Erickson combines the Danish concept of hygge – creating cozy, convivial atmospheres that cultivate well-being – with principles of Christian hospitality and community building. The book explores how embodying hygge’s values like simplicity, togetherness, and cherishing life’s small joys can help create warm, engaging spaces where people feel welcomed to gather, connect with each other, and allow the gospel message to take root.
Erickson provides ideas for hygge-inspired practices to incorporate into church communities, small groups, and homes. This includes suggestions for comfortable communal spaces using soft lighting, plush textiles, and vintage decor pieces. She also recommends ways to build hygge through shared experiences like cooking nourishing meals together, faith-based arts and crafts, hymn singing, and meaningful conversation.
Throughout the book, Erickson aims to help readers move beyond surface hospitality into fostering deeper interpersonal connections. By embracing hygge’s spirit of relaxed conviviality, she believes church groups and families can create fertile ground for exploring big spiritual questions, providing mutual support, and allowing the gospel to organically grow in people’s hearts.
Erickson presents an appealing vision for creating intimate, engaged faith communities by channeling hygge’s distinctive warmth and “unhurriedness.” Her premise that the gospel can spread most authentically through such cozy, present-focused gatherings makes conceptual sense.
Where the book hits some uneven patches is in awkwardly trying to merge hygge’s essence – which is largely about indulging in simple creature comforts and self-care – with Christian teaching’s emphasis on sacrifice, spiritual discipline, and focusing outward. Some of the recommendations for hygge spiritual practices like making warming beverages or relaxing by the fire can feel a bit disjointed from their intended higher purposes.
That said, Erickson’s enthusiasm for using hygge to build a welcoming sense of togetherness and facilitate deeper faith bonds shines through compellingly. Her suggestions for creating intimate, living room-style faith spaces and making time for unhurried, substantive group discussion provide an appealing alternative vision to typical gathering models.
Overall, while the hygge-to-holy living synthesis isn’t fully seamless, Holy Hygge offers some inspiring, unconventional ideas for embodying the hospitality and communion core to Christian community life in new, more relaxed yet still meaningful ways. It’s a comfortingly distinctive take on “warmly abiding” together as believers.
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