Are you familiar with hygge? The Danish word roughly translates to “warm coziness” and has been a design and wellness trend in the US for a few years now. With an emphasis on “enjoying the little things,” like comfy clothes, warm socks and blankets, and steaming mugs of tea, it’s easy to see its appeal.
Pro tip: it’s pronounced “hyoo-guh.” Keeping that in mind, here are 23 ways to get hygge with it locally this year.
1. Observe the most important meal of the day the Nordic way at Broder with æbleskiver (Danish pancakes) served with house-made lemon curd and lingonberry jam.
2. Stay in your pajamas and learn a new card game. A couple of our favorites are golf and cribbage (if you don’t have a board, just count up to 121).
3. Whether you visit Steven Smith Teamaker, The Dragonfly Coffee House, or Roste Chocolate House, just find a warm beverage and wrap your hands around it.
4. Put on your finest flannel and sip a beer by the fire in the Little White Shed at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. Nearby Rock Creek Tavern offers a bit more space, with a similar moss-roofed log cabin vibe.
If anyone does hygge well, it’s McMenamins.
Photo by JD Breneiser/@mcmenamins
5. Feet yo’ self with the winter collection at Sock Dreams on North Mississippi Avenue.
6. Meander ‘round and ‘round the city for a day of vinyl record hunting.
7. Take a tour of Fogelbo, a historic Steiner-built log cabin that was deeded to Nordic Northwest by Sir Ross Fogelquist in 2014.
8. Visit the Oregon Zoo and head straight to the dwarf mongoose enclosure. Inside the building, it’s toasty warm, and you can watch the little mammals scurry around you from a viewing bubble.
9. Explore the joy of artistic expression at The Drawing Studio.
10. Put your worries on a shelf and dive into a page-turner at Mother Focault’s Books.
11. Schedule a therapeutic massage with Cloud Mountain Massage.
12. Light a few coconut wax Plant Based Candles and take a bath.
13. Join a quilt-making class at community sewing nonprofit Sincere Studio.
14. Sip tasty mead beside the roaring hearth at Wyrd.
15. A comfortable couch is the key that unlocks coziness — City Home has more than a few to choose from.
16. Order a milkshake and do a DIY craft at Creative Culture.
17. Browse the alpine exhibits at Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum.
18. Throw on this playlist and get baking — perhaps a Danish pastry? For inspiration, stop by Tabor Bread first.
What’s not to loaf?
Photo by Rebecca Tosdevin/@taborbread
19. Wash away the wintertime dreariness in one of Float On’s float tanks.
20. Spend hours putting together a Portland-themed puzzle.
21. Plants make people happy, so fill your space with some greenery.
22. Hot beer? Hot beer. When you taste Cascade Brewing’s spiced mulled sour cherry ale Glueh Kriek, it will make more sense.
23. Hygge Chocolates understood the assignment — bonbons and a blanket are all you need.
