The Danish word, hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) translates in English as coziness, but it means so much more. It is an attitude towards life that emphasizes finding joy in everyday moments.
Have you ever sat by your window watching the orange glow of the sunrise while drinking a hot cup of coffee? Enjoyed a backyard dinner with your closest friends, laughing and making memories? If so, you’ve experienced hygge. It’s happiness absent of turmoil and stress. I mean, who wouldn’t want to get hygge.
5 Hygge television shows
While I've traveled to many places, I have never visited a Scandinavian country. I am fascinated with learning the meaning of foreign language words and incorporating a few of them as part of my routine. Hygge is the Danish word I’ve chosen to adopt, especially in the television shows I am watching. I am a sucker for warm and fuzzy TV.
Here are five television shows that inspire coziness, celebrates time with friends, and generates warm feelings of happiness. So, grab a cup of (insert your favorite hot beverage) and settle in.
Good Bones
Most HGTV shows will inspire you to seek a hygge design style. My favorite, Good Bones gives you all the feelings of home. Fun loving mother and daughter duo Mina and Karen, of Two Chicks and a Hammer, are transforming neighborhoods in Indianapolis with their creative designs. Remodeling worn down homes to make every inch of the renovation cozy. They warm up the houses with wooden floors, layer with lots of texture, and add neutral colors throughout. “It’s a happier house.” quotes one of their clients in Season 5. What’s more hygge than this?
This Is Us
NBC’s, This Is Us, focuses on the lives of the Pearson family across decades. The emotional storytelling is heartwarming. The cast is so in synch; they have you laughing and crying with them during their moments of joy and heartache. Before you know it, you are more than hooked in; you feel like part of the family. The sets are even cozy and warm. It’s the perfect show to curl up in the living room and watch with everyone in your house. It reminds you, even though bad things happen, it will eventually be okay.
Virgin River
Netflix’s original series, Virgin River, is a walk in the woods, to a tranquil river with eagles gliding above you, and snow-capped mountains as your landscape. Just the setting alone creates a sense of hygge. This show takes place in the remote northern California town of Virgin River. The main character, Mel Monroe, a midwife and nurse practitioner, is seeking a fresh start. What better location than a picturesque small town to do it. Virgin River is easy viewing. Throw in a handsome romantic interest played by Martin Henderson and you’re hooked for a great binge watching session.
Hart of Dixie
On Netflix, the CW’s dramedy, Hart of Dixie, is a textbook lesson in southern charm and hospitality. Along with a gazebo, the town square is filled with quaint shops. It’s the definition of hygge television.
Dr. Zoe Hart, played by Rachel Bilson, is a New York City doctor who moves to Bluebell, Alabama, to take over her father’s family practice after he passes away. Bluebell is a place where everyone knows you. They have parades and quirky traditions like the Founder’s Day Parade, Planksgiving, and the Sweetie Pie Dance. These traditions and the close bonds of the characters make it excellent comfort TV.
Queer Eye
Netflix’s acclaimed reality series, Queer Eye, inspires my inner hygge to bloom in all aspects of life. It will have you wishing the Fab Five, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, and Bobby Berk were your BFF’s. The Fab Five travel around helping individuals improve by giving grooming tips, expanded meal prep options, personal style recommendations, home renovation, and confidence building counseling. As a result, people learn to love themselves and their lives become better. Have a box of tissues in hand. The transformations and revelations are tearjerkers. It gives you goosebumps and leaves you feeling complete happiness.
These are a few of the television shows I watch when I am ready to wrap up in my blanket with a cup of herbal tea and get hygge. I hope you enjoy them.
What do you watch when you want to feel cozy? Which shows fill you with joy?
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