If you are like me, you are currently stressed out over Christmas and how fast December goes. How does this happen every year? Thanksgiving is over and before you know it, it’s the middle of December and last chance to buy presents online in time for Christmas. It not only makes me stressed but also sad because shouldn’t December be the month of hygge and joy with family and friends? The strange thing is, that while a calm and enjoyable December is what most of us wish for, that is not what we usually get. Is it because we want the perfect Christmas so much that we push ourselves so hard to make it perfect that we don’t have time to enjoy it? Like when you want to fall asleep but can’t because you’re stressing over it? It is definitely hard to slow down with work deadlines, all the shopping, class parties, cookie exchanges, gifts for teachers, bus drivers and family.

While I’m no master of chill and calm, my Danish culture does lend me some help with this. Danish Christmas decorations involve a lot of nature and nature is calming. Today, I took my puppy, Ozzy, outside with a thermo mug of hot coffee and felt inspired by the dormant nature. There really is a beauty to every season if you take time to appreciate it. While Ozzy attacked an old bucket, I got some clippings of evergreens and red berries and put them in little vases around the house. Bringing nature inside somehow makes me more connected to the season and its sleepy beauty.

If I get really crafty next week during the kids’ Christmas vacation I might even spray some gold or white paint on some cones and make Christmas decorations like the ones my Danish mother-in-law made with the children last year. So if you’re not big on spending time out in the cold nature, then bring it inside! It’s December now and now is the time to enjoy! Racing for the perfect Christmas will only lead you to loose it – like me who have already lost half of it. So take a deep breath, maybe do a five to ten minute meditation or just enjoy a mug of hot drink and enjoy the month of December!

Here are some Winter pictures from the snowy and frosty Denmark followed by our Christmas decorations from last year. And you can look forward to my next post about Danish Christmas gnomes, called “nisser”, whose job is to bring hygge and Christmas joy to people (no spying on kids and punishing them like the Elf on the Shelf – the Danish nisser only want fun and joy for everyone. I can’t wait to share this tradition with you 🙂