“Koselig” Is Motivation For Enjoying The Winter In Norway

If you’ve been canceling on your friends since October because it’s too cold to go outside, listen up. There’s a Norwegian concept called “koselig” — pronounced “koosh-lee” — which encourages you to go out anyway, even when it’s snowing. It may sound awful to those who hate winter, but the benefits far outweigh the potential shivers.

For a quick definition, koselig can be roughly translated to “cozy,” but as it goes with other Scandinavian languages — from countries that brought us comforting but nebulous concepts like hygge and friluftsliv — there’s so much more to it than that.

Koselig is all about feeling content and happy regardless of the weather, and it also encourages you to stay connected with others — even in the darkest months of the year. “[It’s] about companionship and connection, often outdoors, embracing the winter season with others,” Norwegian philosopher and author Anders Indset told Yahoo Life. “In Norway, winter isn’t a time to hide; it’s a time to bond.”

Instead of vowing to stay indoors until the weather warms, the idea is to go about your daily life just as you would in spring, summer, or fall as a way to stay active and happy. You’ll get up, go for your morning walk, and brave the elements for a cup of coffee, but you’ll also need to make a few special trips outdoors to further embrace the season. Here’s what to know.

Embracing Winter The Norwegian Way

In a December TikTok, creator @thetwentiesdetox further explained the concept of koselig. To really grasp it, you have to picture the country it came from. In the winter in Norway, the sun sets before 3 p.m. and then doesn’t rise again until after 9 a.m. In some places, it remains dark throughout the entire day.

Instead of hating the cold, blustery, darkness like so many would — or going into a full hibernation mode that leaves you feeling isolated and sad — she noted that Norwegians look forward to the cold months simply because it’s koselig time. If they can have fun despite living in one of the coldest, darkest regions on earth, surely the rest of us can. So, what’s their secret?

It’s all about having the right mindset. “Summer is so busy. We can’t connect with each other. Everybody’s doing so much,” she said in her video. “But in the winter months, [that’s] the time where you can actually have conversations and come together and feel really connected with your loved ones. Everything slows down, so it’s actually a really, really beautiful time.”

How To Try Koselig

In another video, @thetwentiesdetox showed examples of koselig, which included doing yoga on a snowy morning, baking cookies, bundling up for a wintery trek through the woods — and, of course, seeing friends.

This is the perfect time of year to invite all of your besties over for a candlelit dinner or to meet up in a snuggly bar for drinks and a good chat. Sure, the trip there might be chilly, but once you arrive you’ll be so glad you made the effort. It’s the antidote to cabin fever, isolation, and wintertime sadness, and it might even help you fall in love with winter.

When you aren’t staying warm inside with friends, you’re also encouraged to meet up outside. Walk in the snow, take in a deep breath of cold air, and admire the icicles. Going out on a more regular basis is another way to appreciate the season, and it also helps you appreciate being back inside again.

If walking outside, ice skating, or sledding on a snow day fills you with a deep sense of contentment, that’s koselig. Same goes for sitting on a friend’s couch or going on a cozy date, even though it’s a dreary day in February. It may be tough to define, but you’ll know it when you feel it — and it really does make the winter that much more enjoyable.