Valentine’s Day & Why the Danes are So Happy

While growing up, Valentine’s Day was always a big deal in our house. To this day, my 94-year-old mother makes her own Valentine cards and sends them to about 50 friends. She taught me that Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance. It’s about celebrating all the people who have a special place in our hearts, those who make our lives richer, fuller and more joyful. In the middle of a cold, dark winter, how wonderful to brighten someone’s day with an unexpected surprise. Whether a card, phone call or gift, both the giver and the recipient get a boost of happiness.

We’ve created some new items with Valentine’s Day in mind. Some feature red or pink while others retain the natural wood coloring but help to create hygge, a Danish term representing comfort, coziness and well-being. Denmark’s winters are especially cold, snowy and dark, and yet the Danes are consistently ranked as the happiest people in the world. How is that possible? They’re obsessed with hygge and arrange their homes and lives to create as much of it as possible.

There is no faster way to get to hygge than to light a few candles. (The majority of Danes burn candles daily during fall and winter and light five or more at a time!) Other hygge generators, from The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking, are fireplaces, objects made from wood, books, nature, ceramics, blankets and things with texture. Also key are being fully present (no texting!), showing gratitude and building social relationships in person.