“Hygge”: Bringing this Cozy Concept into your Lake Home

two people in front of fireplace

Soft blankets, hot tea, time spent relaxing around a fire, and scented candles– what do all these things have in common? Besides sounding like wonderful, relaxing ways to spend time (especially in chilly February), a comfy, cozy, state of being can be summed up by one Danish word: “hygge.” In Danish culture, hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is an integral part of thriving and staying happy throughout the winter months. During a time when fewer hours of sunlight can get us all down, take a queue from the Danish. Your lake home is the perfect place to incorporate this Scandinavian art of being cozy, happy, and feeling your best self for the rest of the winter — because all seasons at the lake should be enjoyed. Read on for small ways you can adopt hygge into your lakeside lifestyle this winter.

Create Your Own Nook

hygge nook in Incline Village, Nevada lake home
Photo courtesy of Mountain Living.

Nothing quite says comfort like creating your own cozy lakeside nook – for reading, journaling, knitting – whatever it is that you enjoy doing to relax. Find some throw blankets and extra soft pillows to set an idyllic scene that makes you want to curl up and find your slice of heaven. Create your hygge-inspired space near a window in your home, and enjoy all the natural beauty the lake has to offer. Having a space that makes you appreciate the simple act of getting deep into a good book is what hygge is all about. Make a soothing cup of your favorite herbal tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and let yourself fall into a happy, healthy rhythm. If you’d like to go the extra mile and keep the cozy energy going all year round, consider installing a window seat near your favorite look-out spot!

Include Some Friends

You can live out your hygge aspirations while being social with your lakeside community, too. In fact, to the Danish, the community is key to keeping spirits high throughout the winter – and seeing as Scandinavian countries are consistently voted the happiest in the world, we’re all ears! Host a game night with friends and family, cook a delicious meal together with locally produced ingredients, or spend time connecting with far-away loved ones over the phone. Conversation and togetherness are valuable tenets of hygge that keep us vibrating at a healthy frequency throughout the cold months. Hosting nights-in during the winter also gives you a great excuse to show off your indoor winter decor, and even start planning for fun activities out on the lake, come spring.

Friends and family toasting at dinner party

The best thing is, hygge is meant to be enjoyed indoors. While outdoor activity plans can be thrown off course due to unpredictable winter weather, you can bet a snow storm will make your plans to journal by candlelight that much more delightful. The joys of having a lake home are season-less, and you should enjoy all your home has to offer you – outside, and inside.

Your lake home is the perfect place to get into the spirit of hygge this winter. By leaning into being cozy and taking a breather, you can allow yourself to appreciate the art of doing less and enjoy your magnificent surroundings all year long. The only thing standing between “cabin fever” and joyful, healthy home life this winter is perspective. So put on some wool socks, bring some aromatherapy to the mix with your most-loved scented candles, and enjoy every minute.

Freezin’ for a Reason: Upcoming Polar Plunges in Our Lake Areas

participants running into San Pedro beach on new year's day

At this time of year, you may look out the window of your lake house and see a freezing body of water, perhaps partially covered in ice, and can imagine that jumping in would be downright unpleasant. Even standing outside in the cold is hardly bearable, much less being submerged in frigid lake water. However, thousands of people do this every year. Whether it’s raising money for a cause or just for the thrill of it, groups of people come together and jump into a cold body of water, such as a lake or beach, during January, February, and March. Appropriately, it’s called a Polar Plunge (could also be referred to as Polar Bear Plunge or Polar Bear Swim).

The History

massive crowd at Annual polar bear swim in Vancouver, Canada
Annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of Red Leaf.

Although it may seem odd, these events aren’t new. In fact, people have been participating in Polar Plunges for over 100 years (a plunge in Boston in 1904 was the first one recorded) and they’re practiced around the world. In Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands, Polar Plunges are typically held to celebrate the new year. In South Korea, there’s an annual polar swimming contest that takes place on Haeundae Beach. There’s even a Polar Plunge in Antarctica, which is a rite of passage for scientists conducting research on this southernmost continent. Regardless of where you are, there’s certain to be a nearby Plunge to satisfy your search for an adrenaline rush. Here in the U.S., you can attend a polar plunge in 2020 at many of our lakes. 

Polar Plunges in the U.S.

Participants take to the icy waters at Canandaigua Lake, NY
Polar Plunge participants take to the icy waters at Canandaigua Lake, NY. Photo courtesy of Daily Messenger.

Across the country, Polar Plunges primarily work to raise money for the Special Olympics, a global organization that provides athletic opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Chances are, you’ll find a Plunge this season that benefits the Special Olympics in your specific state. In New York, you’ll find Polar Plunges on Cayuga Lake on March 21st and Canandaigua Lake on March 28th, both raising money for the Special Olympics of New York. In Missouri, check out the Polar Plunge at Lake of the Ozarks on February 29th, or if you’re in Texas, there’s an event at Lake Gladewater on February 8th, both benefiting the Special Olympics of their respective states. Of course, there’s a Plunge on the great Lake Michigan in Chicago. If you attend this particular plunge on March 1st, you might even run in to Lady Gaga or Vince Vaughn who have attended in the past. 

Besides the Special Olympics, there are several Polar Plunges that benefit other charities as well. For example, a Polar Plunge at Lake Anna State Park in Virginia raises money for the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Warrior Foundation that provides financial support for both retired and active-duty EOD war veterans. We encourage you to take a look at upcoming Polar Plunges in your own communities — you never know who you might meet or what great local causes you’ll be able to support. 

Why Take the Plunge?

Man raising rock on symbols in air running into lake with large crowd behind him
Polar bear plunge participants splash their way into the new year on Sanders Beach in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Photo courtesy of The Spokesman-Review.

For those of us who steer on the side of caution, Polar Plunges might seem too intense, unpleasant, or even unsafe. While there’s certainly a debate over whether jumping into icy water is dangerous, most every organized Polar Plunge has a trained safety team on staff to make sure that conditions are appropriate. As long as your heart is healthy, a few seconds in the water would only give you a good shock — enough to leave you with a jolt of energy as you run back to your awaiting warm towel. At the end of the day, it’s about doing something different with a group of people to celebrate a new year or a good cause. That sense of community and spontaneity is what lake living is all about. 

Interested in the lakes mentioned in this article? Learn more here: Cayuga Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Gladewater, Lake Michigan, and Lake Anna.

Hearing from Homeowners: Winter Traditions for Lake Living

Decorated Christmas tree on boat on lake winter tradition
Photo courtesy of Home is Where the Boat is.

At Lake Homes, we believe that investing in a lake house is about more than the cabin itself– it’s about the relationships and memories that you create in your dream home. By purchasing, renovating, and personalizing your house, you’re setting the stage for countless fun memories with family and friends that will last for years to come.

As the years pass by, you’re likely to cultivate traditions. Whether you embark on canoeing adventures in the Spring, drive a few towns over to watch the leaves change in the Fall, or cook your famous burgers that your kids love in the Summer, these traditions evoke a sense of togetherness and warmth that is at the heart of lake living. At this time of year, with winter in full swing, shared family traditions are often the backbone of this holiday season. 

To gain insight into how lake homeowners celebrate the holidays with their family traditions, we spoke with two women who live on the lake full time. Tiffany Hernandez, author of the lifestyle blog Lake Life State of Mind lives with her husband and teenage son on a lake in Florida. Jenny Block, writer and author of Be that Unicorn, lives with her wife on Lake Livingston in Texas. Both Hernandez and Block understand the unique joys of lake life and were happy to share a glimpse into their personal winter traditions. 

Q: What is your favorite thing to do over the winter holidays at your lake house?

Family sitting around fire pit roasting marshmellows

Hernandez: One of our favorite things to do on the lake over the winter holidays is to make a bonfire! Living in Florida, we have pretty moderate temperatures during the winter and no snow. This allows us to have fun bonfires with hot cocoa and s’ mores. We also pull out our movie screen and projector and watch holiday movies together as a family around the fire. It’s a blast for sure! Our teenage son also takes advantage of this time of the year and will have his own bonfire with band friends. All the kids love coming here to celebrate the holidays!

Block: The most “lake life” thing we do is go to the town’s little Christmas Parade every year, and they have a chili and gumbo cook-off at our home afterward with the neighbors. I bake all sorts of holiday goodies, and my wife mixes up festive drinks. We celebrate the holidays, and the lake and the kind of friends one makes when living on a lake. We call it “the lake family” and it’s probably the best part of lake living!

Q: How do you use decorations in your lake home this time of year?

Jenny Block Be That Unicorn Winter Traditions
Photo courtesy of Jenny Block.

Hernandez:  I love decorating our outdoor table with festive decor so people know we want them to utilize both indoor and outdoor spaces. Oh, and decorating our dock makes everything extra festive!

Block: We have two Christmas trees in our home at the lake. One is filled with glass ornaments, mostly my longtime collection of Christopher Radio Ornaments, and the other is filled with a marvelously eclectic collection. We love having a more formal tree and a more casual one. And since we have two family rooms, it’s perfect! It makes the house feel festive. As for the outdoors, we have a new display this year. Since we live at the lake, in a very laid back community, it’s anything goes when it comes to holiday decorations. Because I have a new book coming out called Be That Unicorn, my wife bought me a giant magical unicorn and put it in the yard with light-up presents, a white tree, and these magic balls filled with light that she made. It’s outrageous and perfect and so much fun!

Q: Do you have hosting traditions for the holidays?

Christmas table setting during night with candles next to Christmas tree
Photo courtesy of Annie Campbell.

Hernandez: We are actually having a holiday party tomorrow, and it’s one of my favorite times of the year to host gatherings with family and friends. Summers in Florida are brutal in terms of the heat and the number of bugs flying around. During the winter, the temperatures drop, making it comfortable outdoors and too cold for the bugs! It’s an absolutely perfect combination. I love having a bonfire set-up outside to utilize both the indoor and outdoor areas of our lake home.

Block:  Living on the lake is a different lifestyle because it’s slower-paced, and our neighbors have friends and relatives who come into town and want to join us for dinner. It’s fun to have odd, eclectic groups of people over for a holiday meal. I love setting up a layered table with placements on top of table runners that evoke a happy sense of abundance.

Whether it’s setting up a bonfire for the family or embellishing your front yard with unique decorations, there are countless ways to spend the winter holidays with your friends and family at your Lake House. Thank you to these two women for sharing their traditions — we hope you create your own!

For more ideas on how to celebrate the holiday season at the lake, read “5 Tips on Hosting for the Holidays“.