confessions of a hygge skeptic

how i am trying to befriend winter this year

Two quick notes:

• From now until Halloween, a yearly subscription is on sale for $60

• Demand a Ceasefire in Gaza

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Do you know what I really miss?

Winter in Southern California. My early 20s were the last time I remember winter actually feeling magical. Walking back to my dorm with a hot chocolate chip cookie and a piping hot Tazo tea, switching which hand I’d hold the cup with so my fingers wouldn’t burn. Shivering in my maroon and white striped Brandy Melville sweater. Losing my pom pom beanie in the dark parking lot of Moodaepo Rowland Heights. The smell of Korean BBQ and sesame oil clinging to the car seats. Driving home from work down Temple Street, placing my hand directly on the heater vent at red lights and stop signs. The artificial warmth of neon lights from hamburger joints, churches, dispensaries, 7-11s, gas stations. Christmas lights on saguaro cacti. I just remember winter feeling less onerous.

The year I moved back to Northern California, I felt cheated when winter hit.

I’d wake up cold and cantankerous, scuttling to turn on the radiator with bleary eyes. It took longer to do everything. Heating water to drink and wash my face. Draping my shirts in front of the heater before putting them on. Hunched shoulders and prickly goosebump skin.

The worst thing of all was my commute anxiety when Daylight Savings hit. I was implanted with fear when the sun set at 5pm. Walking and taking the train at night was just a very different experience than driving, which I’d gotten accustomed to in LA. There was the jacket, the umbrella, the shoes, the backpack, the thermos. It was onerous. I felt like an expedition yak.

I don’t think I will ever get used to winter. It’s kind of like getting my period—it happens every month but I’m still flabbergasted and annoyed whenever it comes. And whenever I read articles lauding Danish hygge, I think: maybe their winters are cozy because their country has more socialist values and third places. Maybe cozy stems from a feeling of closeness with community rather than a pair of fuzzy socks.

This week there was a real cold snap and I feel the shift in the air. It fills me with dread, but I am determined to stop fighting against winter so bitterly. I want to befriend winter this year. Try and find ways to make it work for me, without trying to replicate summer (a fool’s task).

practice patience for winter cooking

honeycrisp applesauce with sour cream and trader joe's frozen hash browns

I’m really not a fan of winter produce in general. Compared to the ripe and bouncy fruits of summer, I feel deflated when pumpkin and squash line the storefronts. The thing about winter produce is that everything requires so much time and heat to become delicious. I will try to accept that in winter, good things just need more time. Apples are better simmered into applesauce and cider. Potatoes are better slow roasted into soft mush. Kale is better blended into a sharp pesto. Cheese is better baked into savory crisps.

keep a full zojirushi thermos

I love this thermos (it is highly beloved by Asians). It’s well designed and keeps hot liquids hot. Imagine spooning steaming hot oatmeal with granny smith applesauce and maple syrup into this thermos and eating it after your commute. Imagine keeping it on your nightstand so you have hot chamomile tea to sip when you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.

stock up on long sleeved tees

A long sleeve tee is the most comforting thing to wear when it’s cold. This is actually a big wardrobe gap for me because I don’t think they’re very “fun” to shop for. However, I always wish I had more. Some brands I like for basics: Flore Flore, KULE, Baserange, Eckhaus Latta.

little lights everywhere

Candles and lamps create a soothing glow, transforming your home into a Thomas Kinkade painting. I’m quite paranoid about candles at home (if they’re lit I’m always monitoring them) so I like buying portable tealights and tucking them into every corner of the house.

appreciating the wintry light

bake something for my neighbors

I’ve been meaning to do this for months and months but just never got around to it. There’s the grumpy elderly neighbor who, after having a bad fall, warmed up to me after I helped him get into a taxi. There’s the neighbors with the newborn I rarely run into outside anymore, but always see through their kitchen window washing baby bottles. And there’s my favorite neighbors, a middle aged couple with a teenager and two dogs who seem like a genuinely happy family.

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Do you dread winter?

What are your cold weather morale tips?

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yours truly,

viv