Koselig

I am the kind of person that dreads winter. Unfortunately for everyone around me, I will complain regularly from late November to the end of March. I get cold easily, and have an even harder time warming up again.  I like to sleep in socks and flannel pants with hooded sweatshirts. I dread going out into the snow to (ugh… I almost cannot even write it!) scrape my car.

It turns out that the people of Norway (who have longer and darker winters!) have found a new way to look that this time of year. They embrace being Koselig.

I found it described on a website in this way:

English speakers translate it by “cosy” but that term doesn’t even begin to cover everything that “koselig” can express. This concept is difficult to translate to those who do not live here, but basically anything can (and should) be koselig: a house, a conversation, a dinner, a person. It defines something/someone /an atmosphere that makes you feel a sense of warmth very deep inside in a way that all things should be: simple and comforting.

Perhaps I can think of winter this way, too. What if instead of thinking of how miserable I will be, I put my energy into finding ways to make my home more Koselig? A few more pillows for the couch, some candles,  turn off the TV and computer and play some music. A few more books. Mugs of warm drink. A lot more cuddling.

Maybe winter will not be so bad, after all.