Yule Hygge in Knaresborough - come say hi and see my happy Christmas presents

This is the second year I am participating in the Knaresborough Christmas Fun.

On Friday 25th Nov, the lights will be switched on in the square, then the arts and crafts faire starts in the Fabulous Old Ticket Office Cafe on the station platform.

I have made a bunch of paintings and stones with local themes but I have also made sure Santa and the North Pole are represented in the shape of Nisser and Rudolfos

I have made new hand painted cards and gift tags, even a few notebooks *S*

I shall bring the HYGGE you bring your smiles, and remember I looove the local Yorkshire Dialects but if I look a bit daft, it's because I haven't quite reached full professional proficiency yet. I have in Danish Hygge though ... I'm fairly fluent in that.

Come say hej!!

Let's talk about Hygge

I cannot believe the hygge avalanche I have seen increasing in speed over the last couple of months. As a Dane hygge is a core part of how I qualify and quantify my life quality. Have I had a hyggelig day; was the dinner hyggelig; do I have the warm comforting feel of hygge hygge or the stress and annoyance of pretend hygge?

Hygge, you see, for me, and most Danes I suspect, is a lifestyle. A traditional unspoken culture. Varied according to context and participants, but nothing short of a vital Key Performance Indicator of life quality and happiness. But like most imbedded culture traits, we rarely philosophise about it. We talk about hygge, we DO hygge, but we don't often critique Hygge.

Looking at the debate and mania here in England, one might consider that dissecting hygge, just might kill it off rather than invigorate it.

You see, as a skabshyggist (closet hyggeist) I truly believe that the beauty of it is that it is simple. Fundamental, It's a feeling and a form of life at the same time.

So the whole idea of "lets buy some hygge", which usually means nipping off to IKEA and getting some candles, and a throw, it's a start. But it's .... just not right.

When it comes to homely hygge the Brits have got it down to a T. Ok well, some do. A lot do... Betty's Tearooms have for sure. It's the mind-set that is missing, the commitment and the willingness to go without, rather than strive for more. Those things are perhaps part of what's different and honestly, the English can blame their fabulous work ethic for a lot of that. Nobody in Europe works harder or longer hours with more commute time than the English. By the time they're off work and home, no wonder a trip to the pub is more realistic than inviting the tribe over for some experimental leftover social cook fest.

Anyways. I'll stop for now. More to come. Follow me on Instagram Danish.girl.in.yorkshire or Sussi.louise

For now I leave you with a few key ingredients for a smashing hyggejul... Nisser og Rudolfos

Happy Christmas og hygge i Galleri Livsmaleri

Hygge is such a beautiful feeling. It's the feeling of absolute trust, togetherness and calm. It's woolly sweaters, woodburners, homemade bread and candles. And NOT the stupid scented ones, I don't know a single Danish household that uses scented candles. Hygge is about authenticity, it's real, not artificial. Also Hygge is about personal relationships. Friends, family, dogs, cats, plants. And personal means walking the fine line between socially inclusive activities and socially excluding activities. And the best 3 ways to get cosy with a Dane are
A. Bring homemade food,
B. Stock up on snaps (firewater, hooch, pure alcohol ;)) and
C: buy them personal presents.

So this year I am flat out making #nisser and #rudolfos personalised with the names of the people in the family (hanging off the antlers or on tags on the presents)

Because what is Hygge without a Rudolfo stone?
Personal Rudolfos start at 12£
Personal story stones start at 25£
All gift-wrapped and blessed with the sparkles of my love for Art
Gift vouchers for stones and paintings available too. You can catch me on livsmalerier@gmail.com or on instagram: Sussi.louise
#danishchristmas #hyggeforreal #artbysussi #gallerilivsmaleri #sussilouise #stoneartbysussi #rockpainting #stenmaleri #storiesonstones #hyggetime #sussishappyartproject #happyart #hyggist #threewisemen #pixi #ilovechristmas