Sunday morning in February. It’s cold outside. Gray clouds block the sun, which is still finding its place in the sky. You’re wearing something cozy: sweat pants, a puffy sweater, thick socks.
You walk through your dimly-lit living room and sit on a plush, cushion couch. Next to you is a thick and oversized blanket, which you drape over your legs for added warmth. You glance out of your window and see the blurred fluttering of snowfall, which is obfuscated by the fog on the glass. You connect your phone to a Bluetooth speaker and play something befitting of that moment and that time of year. Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Chopin. Maybe even “Paris 2004” by Peter Bjorn and John:
“Sunday morning,
On the bed two half-eaten croissants,
Sunday morning,
We’ll soon be out on the boulevards.”
The atmosphere is almost perfect. But you remember the pièce de résistance: resting on the end table next to the couch is a mug. The contents of the mug are warm. Perhaps tea, coco, a hot toddy, mulled wine. Or, perhaps, Okana.
You grab the mug with both of your hands and its warmth jolts your cold fingers back to life. You lean back on the couch and, in that moment, you feel a warmth take over your body – your soul, even. It’s a feeling that you can’t describe. Comfort, coziness, contentment. But it doesn’t matter, because all is right in the world.
That feeling? That’s what the Danes call Hygge.
Pronounced hyoo-guh, this is a Danish word that encompasses all things having to do with cozy. While there isn’t a direct and exact translation to the English language, the feeling that it manages to summarize in a single word is absolutely universal. Hygge exists in Denmark. But it also exists in Japan, in Argentina, in France, in the United States. Sometimes, people experience hygge without realizing it. Other times, people actively pursue the special feeling that hygge engenders.
Hygge is officially defined as: a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. Hygge is found indoors, outdoors, in the summer in the winter, at home, at a café, at a restaurant, by yourself, or with friends. In Denmark, it can effectively be used as a noun, an adjective, a verb, and even an exclamation of joy. “Let’s get together and hygge,” you might hear.
People around the world drink coffee for an energy boost. You know the type. “I can’t live without coffee.” “I can’t start my day without coffee.” “Don’t even try to talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” For busy-bodies everywhere, it’s a stimulant to keep you going. Of course, Okana is a healthier alternative to coffee, which provides you with a wonderfully slow-burning infusion of energy as well as a heap of health benefits. But it’s important to remember that there is another type of coffee drinker.
These are the cozy-seekers, the break-takers, the soul-warmers. These are people who use coffee – or tea or hot chocolate – as the perfect accompaniment to get comfortable and relax. To nourish and replenish the body and mind after a tough day at work or during a busy day. Or to decompress after a hectic holiday season.
While Okana is a perfect coffee replacement for those seeking energy, it’s also a great replacement for those seeking hygge. That’s right – Okana is hygge. It’s warm, it’s comforting, it’s nourishing, and it’s the perfect beverage to enjoy while you’re curled up on a bed in your pajamas, or on the couch watching a movie, or next to a fireplace, or taking a break with friends.
To maximize Okana’s hygge potential, it should be enjoyed with other hallmarks of hygge lifestyle. Natural woods, comfy sweaters, wood-burning fires, puffy blankets, books, leather, greenery, candles, natural scents like pine and lavender. All of these things together – along with your hot mug of Okana – are the perfect antidote to the potential poisons of the modern world, whether those poisons be literal or metaphorical, mental or physical.
So find your cozy space, your comfortable nook, your place of respite. Light some candles, snuggle some blankets, read some books, squeeze your dog, and embrace that warm, uplifting mug of Okana in your hands.
If you don’t have a space or routine to hygge, you should start. But if you already know how to hygge, we’d love to see where and how you do it. With a cup of Okana, of course!