This season is all about channeling the hygge [hoo-ga] energy. Hygge is a Danish term that encompasses the idea of contentment, coziness, togetherness and the promotion of wellbeing. Hygge is not simply a word, but a lifestyle that emphasizes everyday moments of joy. I invite you to incorporate Hygge into your lives, starting with this unique seasonal list of my favorite winter movies.
The Holiday
“The Holiday” follows two women who swap houses for the holidays: Amanda (Cameron Diaz), lives in a sleek Los Angeles home as the owner of a film trailer company. Iris (Kate Winslet), is a London newspaper columnist who lives in a petite cottage in an English village. Both unhappy, they find each other on a house swapping site. Unexpected romance ensues for both women as they begin to adjust to their altered lives. Look no further for the perfect 2000s holiday romcom than “The Holiday”, complete with adorable, snowy Cotswolds scenes, cozy knits and romance that concludes with New Years celebrations.
The Family Stone
“The Family Stone”, set in Connecticut in 2005, revolves around the Stone family’s Christmas celebrations. Everett (Dermont Mulroney) invites his girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) to Christmas in hopes of proposing. However, the polished and awkward Meredith doesn’t mesh well with the family. Various mishaps increase the strangeness as shifting relationships and illness in the family change their lives forever. The film feels authentic–at times somber and others hilarious. The Stone family house is homey and cluttered, decorated with vintage-style stocking, walls of books and a festive tree set to the backdrop of falling snow, making it an excellent winter choice.
The Holdovers
“The Holdovers” is a modern holiday film set at a boys’ boarding school during the winter break. Paul Giamatti plays the professor who chaperones a group of students with nowhere to go during the vacation. The professor, his damaged and cunning student Angus (Dominic Sessa) and cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) form a bond that brightens up their lonely lives. “The Holdovers” is a moving and uplifting film with gorgeous cinematography and a 90s feel. The New England prep school harkens back to “Dead Poets Society”, and the film has a definitely Hygge cozyiness and vintage yet elegant, stylish aesthetic.
Little Women
Greta Gerwig’s 2019 “Little Women” is an aesthetically mesmerizing, emotionally devastating and heartwarming film all at the same time. The film, based on Louisa May Alcott’s iconic 1868 novel by the same name, follows four sisters in the years after the Civil War. It switches from the past to the present throughout, telling the stories of four sisters Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Meg (Emma Watson) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), as well as their good friend Laurie (Timothee Chalamet). Set in regency-era Massachusetts, the chic, intricate sets and costumes are delightfully accompanied by the changing leaves and blankets of snow.
If I had to choose my top movie from the list, it would have to be “Little Women”. I love the novel itself, and Greta Gerwig’s version is authentic yet completely original. The film delivers beautiful visuals and fashion, stirring performances and an adaptation on Laurie and Jo’s storyline that breaks my heart every time. Plus, the cozy vibes, seasonal scenes and sisterly togetherness is perfect for a Hygge winter!
