This time of year, my husband, who celebrates his birthday in November, always quotes the Danish poet Henrik Nordbrandt's "The year has 16 months". In the poem, the months line up like this: "January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, November, November, November, November, December." So true. November can seem long in the Nordics. It's windy, wet, grey, and often very cold. Hence November in the Nordics can feel a bit gloomy and almost endless.
The air is a little cold, but crystal clear and simply beautiful with the almost horizontal rays of sunlight
But not today: Days are ever-changing, and I woke up to a pink morning sky, which now has turned into blue. The air is a little cold, but crystal clear and simply beautiful with the almost horizontal rays of sunlight illuminating the leaves still left on the trees. Ahh, that's why November also is a lovely month. đđ
And my spirits are high as well because these days, we're packing and shipping the next Norlii box, which is the December box. YES, it's out now and it's definitely a hygge box to look forward to.
The theme this time is Holiday Harmony, which hinges on both the Danish "Hygge" concept and on the Swedish idea of "Lagom" (which I described in my previous blogpost and which I will be getting more in to over the coming weeks). Hygge creates an atmosphere, a bubble of light, and warmth in the season. And what is so fascinating about hygge is precisely that it somehow takes the darkness to create. Do you see why candles are so widely used in Scandinavia in the fall and winter months? They are our small rays of light, creating a warm and attractive space against the backdrop of darkness. But hygge is also stirred from other senses: taste (sweetness), the sensory sense (softness, warmth), and the auditory sense (think about how mellow music or even silence can impact your state of mind).
So while packing and inspecting all of the December Boxes, I try to create hygge space for myself in these processes: I put on my favorite mellow music, a warm cup of hot chocolate, and so on. And most importantly: I am so thrilled to send out this next batch and immensely appreciate the opportunity to provide the Norlii members with a small ray of light from Scandinavia.