Nordic wisdom for the coldest days of the year

Learn to love winter by practicing fika, hygge, sisu, friluftsliv, and lillördag.

Winter and I haven’t always been on the best of terms. As a young kid, growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, winter was just a fact of life we lived with from late October through late March - or well into April many years. No point complaining; just pull on your moon boots and get out there.

Last January 2, in Manistique, MI

It’s funny what just a handful of latitude points will do. As a teen and young adult in southern Michigan, I became downright grumpy about the winter. Grumpy…and also unrealistic, and maybe a tad lazy. Yes, there are days I can comfortably go without warm boots or snow tires, during a southern Michigan winter—but that doesn’t mean it’s advisable. Also: wishing it was spring does not make it so; it just means I’m essentially wishing away a quarter of my life.

And really, why would I wish this kind of beauty away?

Palms Book State Park, also known as Big Spring or Kitch-iti-kipi, last January

In the last few years - coinciding with my return to the region where I grew up - I’ve decided to embrace a more winter-positive view. To help me along, I’ve leaned on the wisdom of cultures who’ve been doing it all along; specifically, the people from countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and my ancestors’ homeland, Finland. On The Tea’s Made podcast this week, I shared some of the principles and practices folk in Nordic regions lean on to help them find beauty, joy, and renewal in the season.

In this post I’m expanding more on each of these concepts, with some specific ideas about I incorporate each of them into my life (or hope to start.)

Friluftsliv: Open-Air Living

Literally translated as “free-air life”, this Norwegian word indicates a deep sense of connection with nature. During the winter, it may require us to dress thoughtfully for the weather and encounter the occasional discomfort as we adjust to the elements - but it’s all for a good reason; learning to engage with and even enjoy the outdoors, even when it’s cold out.

While I love a good cold-weather walk, I’m hoping to expand my horizons a bit this year - it’s good to challenge myself and keep things fresh. If you’re looking for a friluftsliv-style outing this winter, search your area for activities like forest skating or winter rafting. Doesn’t it look magical?

Winter rafting tour on the Pine River in Michigan. Photo: thepineriver.com

It bears repeating that the first secret to enjoying a wintry outdoors is dressing for it! The following post includes some of my clothing & gear recommendations.

Fika: A snack break with soul

On the surface, fika might seem like simply grabbing a cup of coffee and a muffin, but it’s more than that - for Swedes, it’s “a concept, a state of mind, an attitude and an important part of Swedish culture,” a ritual and opportunity to share a little bite and a hot beverage with others, and it’s an essential part of life and work. In Sweden, fika is often enjoyed by candlelight - even on factory floors.

Sure, I drink tea all day every day, and often there is also some nibbling going on, but how often am I truly intentional about turning it into a ritual for creating connection?

Here are two ways I plan to incorporate the concept of fika in 2024:

-Creating space for more impromptu, low-stakes social gatherings over a warm beverage and a little treat. Get-togethers don’t always have to mean lunch, happy hour, or dinner, all of which can challenge my schedule or routines in various ways. What about planning little midafternoon fika meetups instead?

-Planning afternoon tea with my teens. The hour or so after Clara and Owen walk in the door from school is a rare opportunity for connection. Their attention hasn’t yet gotten diverted by homework or games or TV, and I’m usually ready for a little mental break from work. With a little thought and planning, I can easily set aside 30 minutes or so to be fully present during that time, with something to sip and nibble on as they tell me about their days. And of course, adding candlelight couldn’t hurt.

Hygge: Cozy Contentment

By now most of us have heard about the Danish concept of hygge, which centers around incorporating coziness into our lives.

This time of year there’s something so powerful and primal in the urge to hunker snugly in our dens. I find that I feel more rested and “right” when I let the rhythm of my day reflect what’s going on outside my window. That might mean using softer lighting or more candles, winding down earlier and getting more sleep, spending more time snuggled up with a book, or eating warming foods like soups and stews. 

But hygge is more than just coziness - it’s the idea of being happy with what you have and finding the joy in simple things.

Some ideas for infusing more hygge into your day: 

• Spend some time journaling, reading, or meditating by candlelight before the sun comes up. Last year, I devoted a full half-hour of candlelight time to journaling each morning in January. This year I plan to do something similar. adding an early morning meditation as part of my yoga studio’s annual challenge.

meaganfrancis

A post shared by @meaganfrancis

• Stake out a hygge spot and stock it with things that help you feel warm and snug. My “cozy corner” on our sofa is always ready for quiet time, with a stack of magazines and books, a coaster for my tea mug, my embroidery supplies, a journal, a candle, a fuzzy blanket and several throw pillows, and a great view (it’s the spot closest to the big window in our living room.)I find myself drifting toward this spot a lot, but especially in the early morning - where I like to watch the sun rise—and early evening, after it’s set and I’m winding down.

• Take a warm mineral bath. I take my baths very seriously - and I take one almost every night. I’m always looking for ways to enhance the experience, so I invested in a nice wooden bath tray earlier this year and have been using my own bath salts made from magnesium flakes (a more bioavailable and concentrated form of magnesium than regular epsom salts), soothing essential oils (I’m loving lavender and frankincense right now) and a scoop of powdered milk. The result is so soothing and relaxing - I like to keep the lights low while I’m in the tub, and then float right on to bed afterward.

Lillördag: Little Saturday

Sounds so much better than “hump day”, right? Lillördag is the Swedish concept of planning a little treat on Wednesdays to break up monotony. I admit I often have the best intentions for incorporating a special midweek celebration and then feel too tired - or just too stuck in my usual routine - and it doesn’t happen. But it could be something small: taking the kids out for hot chocolate after school, planning a pizza and movie night, or making a fun cocktail or mocktail for Eric and I to enjoy at home. Novelty is good for the soul, but it’s easy to forget to plan for it - so I love the idea of having it just an expected part of our week.

Sisu: Resilience + Pluck

I saved my favorite—sisu, the national spirit of the Finnish people—for last. Roughly translated, sisu means resilience, courage and fortitude. In other words, while hygge invites us to linger by the fireplace under a blanket, protected from the driving snow, sisu invites us to strip off our clothes and propel, naked, into the snowbank.

meaganfrancis

A post shared by @meaganfrancis

I haven’t gotten into the cold plunge aspect of Finnish culture yet (though I’m very intrigued) but I do believe that resilience is a muscle we can strengthen through practice - and the practice is in doing hard and awkward and uncomfortable things.

So as we head into 2024, I’m asking myself - what difficult, uncomfortable things have I been resisting? How am I limiting myself by avoiding those hard things? It feels like a useful thing to reflect on this winter.

Putting it all together

My favorite thing about the philosophies and practices I’ve detailed here is that when done intentionally they can work together to create a recipe for creating a rich and warm life even when the temperatures are bitter.

Without the intention of social connection, fika is just coffee and a muffin. Without the intention of creating contentment, hygge is just a blanket and a book. But organizing our lives around these practices in an intentional way is what creates a holistic whole and a life we love, no matter the weather.

How will you lean on some of these practices to help you through those cold winter days?

That’s all from me until after Christmas, friends. I hope it’s a warm and joyful holiday for you. And don’t forget, our oh-so-slow book club kicks off this Tuesday, December 26! We’ll be reading The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl, week by week, all year long. Subscribe now so you don’t miss any updates, and I’ll see you next week.