Ranch and Country Magazine Winter 2024-25 Quarterly

Have A Hygge Holiday

Byron Grant Broker/Associate Century 21 Hometown Realty 805.441.2560 cell 805.481.4297 office DRE #00985985 www.byron-grant.com • byron-grant@c21home.com • 102 Bridge Street, Arroyo Grande CA 93420

purposeful actions and practices to foster ideals for living a happy life that includes spending harmonious time, either alone or with friends, in a comfortable, safe, warm, welcoming environment where one can share conviviality and simple pleasures.

Denmark also includes the Farce Islands and even Greenland. As a developed country with a high standard of living, low poverty, and a high-income economy, Denmark is ranked No. 2 as the happiest country in the world, according to the 2024 World Happiness Report, and No.1 for people over 60.

Christmas, a New Year, and the first glimmer of Spring -- this is the time for warm cuddly clothing, thick throw blankets, natural light, lamp light, candle light, firelight. Time to gather with friends and enjoy hot drinks and comfort food. This is “ hygge time.” Hygge is a Danish word that implies cozy, warm, congenial, the feeling of contentment, the experience of conviviality, a sense of well being. No single English word is the equivalent of hygge .

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If a trip to Denmark is on your bucket list, how about a visit to Solvang, California. Solvang is located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley just a half hour or so north of Santa Barbara. The small town of Solvang of roughly 6000 residents is often called the “Danish capital of America.” Solvang was first settled by a group of Danish Americans who purchased 9000 acres from one of the large Spanish Ranchos in 1917. Solvang was initially a Danish- speaking community with Danish architecture predominating, but

Hygge is all about creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying good things and being with good people. It is also about slowing down and and enjoying the moment, without that pressing sense of having so many to-do’s. The concept of hygge may have originated in the Middle Ages, deriving from a similar old

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Clearly the winter season, with its holiday cheer and warm drinks by the fire, is an ideal hygge time. But in Denmark hygge is literally a practice, one that goes on all year. Denmark, the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, has a population of nearly 6 million. Along with its mainland,

Norse word that means “protected from the outside world.” The Danes apparently embraced the concept and made it part of their national character by the end of the 18th Century. For the Danes, hygge is both a psychological state of being, and a way to live. It represents

as the town grew, services began to be offered in both English and Danish. In 1947, a Saturday Evening Post article described Solvang as “Little Denmark,” and a boom in tourism followed. With charming architecture, delectable bakeries, and one-of-a-kind shops, Solvang is an easy way to touch the Danish culture. Because Solvang is so popular as a tourist destination, the hustle and bustle along its sidewalks may not exactly exude a hygge vibe. But one bite of a delectable pastry is all it takes. And in the shops one can purchase warm blankets, over-sized sweaters, ribbed beanies, candles, and comfort foods — all hygge items to take home. As the year draws to a close, it’s time to let a little hygge wash over all the rancor and strife that has characterized the socio- political milieu of 2024. Remember hygge is not just a single experience; it is a lifestyle choice. And what better time to practice a hygge than in this wonderful season of winter. -- Linda Boston Franke, RC Editor

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