A few weeks ago, I shared some ideas for embracing hygge, which is the Scandinavian concept of creating a cozy home and environment in which to relax and thrive. Candles, pillows, neutral colors, natural textures, sometimes a fire and warm beverages all figure into it.
Now I’m back with another cool concept from our neighbors to the north. This is one I wasn’t previously familiar with. It’s called “fredagsmys” and it means “Friday coziness” in Swedish. Apparently it’s gone viral on tiktok (but honestly, what hasn’t?).
Tiktokkers are encouraging everyone to skip the bar hopping and partying and instead stay home, unwind and get cozy. No more FOMO when you’re practicing fredagsmys!
And this is right up my alley. I think people are sometimes surprised when I admit that I’m a huge introvert. I don’t do well in large, loud social situations. (Which is ironic since I host a TV show and regularly appear on TV and podcasts and also do some public speaking. But all of that really exhausts me and I really need time at home to recharge after traveling.) If you can relate, you are going to LOVE fredagsmys.
The whole idea is to connect with close friends and family, play games or watch movies, and of course eat. My “game of choice” is cribbage. If you’re not familiar, it’s an old New England card game that can be played by 2 people, or in teams, and while the basics are pretty easy to learn, there’s so much strategy involved for more experienced players. You need a special board for “pegging” and a deck of regular cards.
Fun fact: When I met my husband and found out that he played, he was only the second person I had ever met who knew how to play. (The first was an accountant I worked for briefly on Long Island. He taught me because he needed someone to play with in the office after tax season was over!) Anyway, I’ve since taught my Mom to play and we love playing when I visit with her, and we always plays when my husband’s Navy friends come to visit. They all play - it’s a “thing” on Navy ships apparently.
We keep saying that we’re going to hold a cribbage competition with our close friends here in Maine, but so far that hasn’t happened. I’m still holding out hope though. Tyne (pictured above with me) is the single most competitive person I know other than myself!
But back to fredagsmys. Serving fun finger food is a must, I think. Deviled eggs (these are so fancy with creme fraiche and balsamic pearls) are never wrong, or maybe a jammy egg flight (which also went viral on tiktok awhile back), or cheesy Gougeres that are totally addictive. And my No-Bake Maple Walnut Truffles would be a perfect sweet addition.
And what better than traditional Glogg to sip on? If you’re celebrating dry January, snuggle up with a cup of hot tea. My current obsession is this one.
So that’s fredagsmys. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to Friday night!
Oh, one last thing. We had a sauna growing up. My Dad built it and it was attached to his workshop out back. I remember we would have family sauna nights with kielbasa that we would cook over the hot rocks. We loved throwing water from a bucket over the rocks and making them steam. My brother recently had a sauna built at his house, and so now I’m thinking… should we get a sauna? Of course Amazon sells them, but I’m thinking a stand-alone building instead of one inside our house…what do you think? Have you ever tried a sauna? I’m curious. (Also, as an aside, did you know that “sauna” is the only Finnish word that has been adopted into the English language. Also, it’s pronounced SAU-na, not sonna. And the accent is on the first syllable of all Finnish words. So it’s HEL-sinki, not Hel-SINKI, and NOK-ia not NoKIA.)
Until next week, enjoy fredagsmys!
I love playing Cribbage. Our grandfather taught me and my siblings to play 60+ years ago, along with about every card game that I know. I so enjoyed your photo playing the game, sitting on the floor, which is exactly how we generally end up playing it. We grew up in Iowa, and a fair number people play cribbage there. I despair that so many home games that allowed us to spend time with family and friends have lost popularity to video games and streaming apps. I love your Friday plans - Friday has always been our family night for homemade pizza when our girls were growing up, now my husband and I do other meals, but usually simple ones for those nights.
Yes, my husband is Finnish so we've used a sauna both in CA where we used live and in Finland on our honeymoon. My dad and I used to play cribbage when I was a kid. He was a Marine. Haven't played in years, but recently played backgammon when our daughter was home for Christmas. Fun and relaxing.