Danish 'hygge' is the antidote for a cold dark winter

Dealing with the darkness and cold of winter in the North can be hard for even the perkiest of people.

But people living inDenmark have somethingthat could make the winter justa little bit easier for everyone to bear. It's called hygge loosely pronounced 'hewg-gay', with a thick Canadian accent of course.

It's essentiallyuninterrupted together timewith loved ones. Anything from a home cooked meal with friends, to awalk complete with hot chocolate.

"It's almost as if you can feel it physically in your body,"says Helene Elisa Skov, "It's this warm fuzzy feeling that you get in your stomach."

It's really sort of a life jacket.- Helene Elisa Skov

Skov lives in Denmark and grew up with hygge. She smiles when she talks about it.

"When you're in the middle of it and you realize it all of a sudden... you realize this is the place you're supposed to be and this is just perfect."

Like northern Canada, there are very few winter daylight hours in Denmark.

"Usually we crank up thehyggejust a little bit in the winter,"Skovsays.

She explains it's something to look forward to during the short days, a life jacket of sorts.

"Calling ithyggeis just like a seal of approval."

There's no English equivalent forthe word. "It's auniquely Danish concept," Skov says, and Danes like herareready to share.

There are more than 5 million people living in Denmark. By mostaccounts Danes aredubbed some of the happiest people on earth, so they must be doing something right.

Dene practices similar

In Canada's North, Denealso have their way of making it through the dark, depths of winter.

Elder, Muriel Betsina remembers growing up in winter bush camps on the shores of Great Bear Lake.

"We'd always be dressed warm."

As a girl, she'dbe bundled up with layers of fur and cozy rabbit skin, right against her skin.

Just before Christmas,Betsina remembers how everyone in the campwould pull out all of the stops. They'd dontheir best parkas, mukluks andmitts.

"Boy do they ever look fancy I see my dad once a year, ever look fancy."

Just as the Danish hygge always involves food (especially cakes), the Dene would feast on thebest that had been harvested: caribou, moose head andcranberries.

For Betsina though, winters were also always about keeping busy. Everyone's purposewas survival.

As soon as you wake up, you make breakfast and you go out on the land and you check your traps and you come back with a load of wood and some traps, she says.

For Skov and those she keeps close to her, getting through the winter is all about savouring those simple moments of happiness.

"This idea that you don't have to do anything. You just have to be and that's enough, that's more than enough."