Cozy Christmas – Celebrating Iceland’s Jolabokaflod

The idea of being cozy. It is the absolute definition of self care during cold winter nights.

I learned a good deal about coziness when I was living in Scandinavia. This normally included big fluffy blankets, no less than five candles burning, and maybe a gathering of non-twinkling twinkle lights haphazardly arranged somewhere in a far corner.

Coziness extended outside of our homes as well. I very much loved the fact that during cooler months, and even in the dead of winter, some cafes in Gothenburg still offered outdoor seating complete with candles and blankets for those taking their coffee outside. There was just something so very beautiful about that, especially if the snow was falling.

In Denmark, coziness is referred to as hygge and in Sweden we embraced what was called fredagsmys or “cozy Friday”. Coziness is celebrated often as a tradition in these countries, but when well-embraced it becomes a lifestyle.