Spring hygge - my way

Winter has taken a long time to say goodbye this year. It’s spring at last, so it’s time to put away the cosy throws and furry cushions and think about opening a few windows.

Goodbye to hygge and all that?

That’s what I thought until it came to my attention that it’s possible to hygge all year round. Spring hygge? Sounds a bit unlikely, so I did a bit of research…

Apparently, what spring hygge boils down to is taking pleasure in everyday things. This is something I feel I do pretty well anyway, thank you very much. 

I found suggestions for brightening up your surroundings:

Lighter fabrics and colours.

Fresh flowers! 

Bring the outside in!  

A fairly instinctive reaction to spring, I think...

OK, so I’ll get out my bright yellow tea towels and pick a few daffodils from the garden.

‘Get out your spring cushions’ 

Well, I actually DO have spring cushions! The only thing is, they’ve been out since last spring because I couldn’t be bothered to store them over winter. 

I might just wash them – it’ll have to do.

Spring cleaning was another idea. 

I don’t know why this is touted as something new, as it used to be a traditional thing. I’ve always loved the idea of a massive clean up, but somehow I have never actually done it. As someone once pointed out, thinking about cleaning is much more pleasant than actually doing it. Besides, daily life has a habit of getting in the way of spring cleaning. 

Does anybody still do it these days?

Eventually this line of research came to a halt when I found a serious suggestion that I might hygge-up my spring by making pink champagne macaroons.  Now let’s not get silly!

Next I discovered that hygge is now supposed to be SO last year. Or maybe even the year before. 

‘Lagom’, I’m told, is the thing for this year. Another Scandinavian concept which means ‘just the right amount’. It’s all about moderation, creating balance and having enough stuff but not too much. Some people seem to think this is all very worthy but not as much fun as hygge. I can see their point, but surely the one doesn’t rule out the other?

The next step in my research led me to an alarming-sounding concept called...

Death Cleaning. 

I was afraid this meant spring cleaning until you drop from exhaustion, so I almost didn’t look any further. But all it means really is sorting out your stuff and planning for when you are no longer here - slimming down what you leave behind so your children don’t have to clear up after you. Probably a good idea, and also means you aren’t burdened with too many ‘things’ in retirement and might possibly get round to enjoying yourself.

Basically, a fancy way of saying decluttering.

Anyway, I’m off now to pick flowers and wash my cushions…