Advent 2020: Hygge

We have come to the turning of another season – the circular lifeblood of the earth. The long sigh of Autumn is turning to the cold dark of Winter, which will be chased by the rebirth of Spring before wilting in the heat of Summer and returning to Autumn once again. Indeed, the time-lapse videos of the earth rotating through the seasons look like a man breathing in and out as the ice at the caps grows and recedes in a rhythmic motion.

Our church calendar embraces the rhythm but in a seemingly inverted fashion. We begin in June, at the time of the longest amount of daylight, to celebrate St. John the Baptist who foretells the ministry of Christ. While our days grow shorter and darker, our hope grows more until we reach its zenith during the darkest days of the year by celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas.

So, here we are, as the axial tilt of the earth moves us further from the sun creating too-short days and too-cold nights, hopefully awaiting the arrival of our Savior. These can be tough times to maintain hope, exacerbated by the restrictions the pandemic has put on our lives. Indeed, the grey monotonous weather and lifeless trees can seep into our bones leading to listless days that run into each other. For some it is severe enough to become Seasonal Affective Disorder – a mild form of depression.

The Danish have a cultural cornerstone in combating this seasonal morose by creating rooms and moments of hygge (pronounced HUGH-ga). Imagine, for a moment, a day out in cold misty rain doing yard work or other such labor. Upon finishing, you come inside to change into warm, wool pajamas. You sit with a warm cup of soup by a crackling fire and enjoy a cup of coffee or cocoa. That sense of safety and warmth that these moments bring are what the Danes call hygge. They strive to incorporate it year-round and into all aspects of their lives.

And so as these days are cold and light is distant, we may be able to create physical hygge. But we can also, during these times – and especially this year with restrictions – face a seasonal spiritual drought. Here, in this Advent season, let us turn our focus to the birth of Christ to be our spiritual hygge.

In this moment of birth, we have a God who is no longer abstract and detached from his creation. We have a God, with a human face, who can turn and look at us individually and know us. We have a God who has taken his creation, fallen from the garden, and redeemed it to its true self. In this birth is the beginning of our hope and renewal. In this birth is Love made manifest and human. Let this be spiritual hygge for us while we enjoy physical hygge around the fire tonight.