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“Strive to make everyday the best day of your life, because there is no good reason not to.” Hal Elrod

"I sit by the window with a warm drink, looking out and watching for those first few flakes of snow to fall"

Dec 05, 2024

By Emma Thackray

I have always had Hygge embedded deep within me, I just never knew the name for it or how to describe it, other than “a love of being cosy”. 

My husband finds it amusing that in the winter months when snow is forecast, I sit by the window with a warm drink, looking out and watching for those first few flakes of snow to fall. The excitement in me rises as more snow falls. There’s just something so cosy about being in your nice warm house watching the snow lay outside isn’t there. 

Autumn and Winter have always been my favourite seasons, with a particular love of Halloween and Christmas, as that’s when I really feel cosy, calm and relaxed. 

However, since embarking on the Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation I have come to the realisation that Hygge can be experienced at any time of the year. It’s not all about the weather outside, it’s about the environment you create and the calm that you bring into your home and life.  

I am therefore transforming my home, wh...

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Bringing Hygge To Your Home This Christmas

Nov 25, 2024

Hygge is all about embracing the simple moments in life with such warmth and comfort. Winter time offers us the perfect opportunity to make some seasonal changes to our home to create a calming and warm atmosphere. Getting that hygge feeling in our home is especially important when Christmas time can at times feel quite busy and chaotic with so much going on.

Here are my top tips for bringing some hygge into your home at this time of year.

Consider lighting

Turn off the overhead lights and instead be more creative with the way you light up your spaces inside. Go for lamps on tables, the warm flicker of a candle dancing , light the fire or adda string of fairy lights to jam jars to give  twinkle of magic. 

Some of the things that I loved seeing in Scandinavia were the lanterns filled with fairy lights on a porch creating a warm welcome to visitors. Or the paper stars hung in the windows to light the way on a dark night. It it snows you could even have a go at making some snow lant...

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20 Simple Winter Hygge Activities for Children from Daisy Ducklings

Nov 18, 2024
20 Simple Winter Hygge Activities for Children from Daisy Ducklings Childminding.

We have always spent our days in nature, appreciating the natural world around us, but since we became Hygge Accredited in 2022, we have slowed down even more. We spend our days being calm and mindful, practicing yoga, being in nature or exploring the provocations or invitations to play in our indoor environment.

Winter is such a magical season. We love nothing more than wrapping up warm and exploring, feeling the crisp cold air on our cheeks. Then coming back to our cosy home from home setting for a snuggle under a blanket and a warming hot drink.

Here we share some of our favourite Winter Hygge Activities to inspire you:
1. Winter Crate Shelfie

Wooden crates are very verstaile - use them to set up a little nook with a book, some fairy lights and nature and watch the children get stuck in.

 2. Shadow Play

Re-enact favourite stories in the dark with blankets, handmade stick puppets and a torch.

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Winter Nature Shelf

Nov 07, 2019

How do you create and celebrate the moments of joy that come throughout the year?

I like to create a nature shelf in the entrance to our setting that can be used as a way of creating a wonderful sense of arrival for young children and their families. It encourages discussion and a love for what is seen and experienced in the world around us. With a hope of making children and their families more present and strengthening the connections between home and setting. By encouraging children to add their natural treasures to this working display or observations.

Here is a winter themed Nature shelf that I set up at the beginning of December last year. It simply had an artificial tree, Pussy Willow in a tall vase, pine cones and Holly collected by the children, twinkly lights to bring the enchantment and then the wonderful book Pick and Pine Tree by Patricia Toht. This book is a delightful read about a family choosing and decorating their own Christmas tree- offering many discussion point...

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