An Advent Holiday Hygge Party • Homestead Lady

If Christmas celebrations have become a little overwhelming in their expectations and execution, try simplifying with a holiday hygge party. A good place to start, is to find the true meaning of Advent this season with your close friends and family. Joining together for this special time of year can provide a way to hygge together in meaningful ways. Here are four weeks of cozy Advent activities, recipes, and readings for a holiday hygge party tradition.

If you’re a new Christian or are simply new to the idea of Advent, you may want to read this article that explains the meaning of Advent.

However, for a quick synopsis, Advent is the four week period before Christmas day that is meant to be a time of preparation for and reflection upon the birth of Jesus Christ.

Typical Advent activities include gathering together to read scripture about the life of Christ, small acts of service, attending church services, and, of course, the preparing and eating of special foods!

Advent is a quiet time of reflection, much like the period of Lent before Easter. It is perfectly suited to not only a hygge home but even a hygge celebration.

If you’ve never organized a party before, please don’t stress over the idea. A hygge party is meant to be a very peaceful gathering, so a little planning goes a long way.

Helpful Related Articles:

The True Meaning of Advent

How to Organize a Basic Party

How to Hygge the Homestead

What Hygge Is & Is Not

The Hygge “movement” has gotten a lot of hype over the last few years. So much so that even people who don’t really know what it is probably have some idea that it has something to do with sweaters and candlelight. Some people may even have a brand name hygge item they’ve purchased in the hopes of somehow capturing the charm of hygge.

Like so many powerful ideas that start out simple and relatable to everyone, hygge has morphed into a commercial aesthetic that in many ways no longer reflects its origins. The truth is, you don’t need to buy anything to hygge in your home – it’s a feeling, not a hashtag.

Hygge (pronounced ‘who-guh’) is actually a verb with lots of variations and uses that make it seem like an adjective . The modern word has evolved from the Old Norse of the Vikings and even Old English.

Bronte Aurell explains in her charming book, Scandikitchen: The Essence of Hygge:

Hygge is a feeling of comfort and joy. …[The word] Hygge has been used in Norwegian and Danish for the past few hundred years, and it is widely understood across all of the Nordic countries. …People often confuse the word hygge with the word cozy. Coziness, however, is mostly defined and created by physical things around you, whereas hygge is a completely psychological and emotional state.

Hygge is NOT about buying anything specific, nor is it about wearing any particular kind of clothing or using any certain kind of decorating philosophy.

Hygge is simply about creating a feeling of being at home no matter where you go or what you’re doing. Peace, comfort, joy. These things aren’t dependent upon, nor do they originate from what you’re wearing or even the circumstances of your life.

Joy comes from what your heart is focused upon.

To stay focused on both Advent and your hygge party, we created a free resource for your celebrations. These worksheets include Advent readings, an Advent candle cheat sheet, hygge party planning sheets, 12 Days of Christmas doorbell ditch tags, and so much more! Join our newsletter below and down load your worksheets today!

Holiday Hygge Party for Advent

The winter holidays are a special time of year for many reasons, one of which is the fact that we celebrate the darkest time of year with traditions that involve light. Hanukkah and other winter holidays around the world demonstrate this beautifully.

For the Christian, only Easter surpasses Christmas as the holiest time of the year. Finding and holding to the true meaning of Christmas can be difficult in this loud and harsh world.

May I suggest that putting aside the commercialism of the time of year is a lot easier to do than we might think. A focus on the observation and the meaning of Advent may be just the thing to make sure our hearts are focused on what matters most this year.

To turn this four week event into a reason to gather and softly celebrate together as a hygge party is a wonderful idea and one that just might work itself into your holidays traditions every year.

Advent Hygge Party Ideas

The first thing to do to prepare for an Advent hygge party is to determine that date of Advent for the year. Advent always encompasses the full four weeks, specifically Sundays, before Christmas.

For example, I’m writing this in the year 2023, so the first Sunday of Advent this year will be December 3rd. Be aware that this is an odd year where Christmas Eve actually falls on Sunday.

Regardless of when Advent begins every year, it’s a good idea to get started planning your Advent hygge sooner rather than later, so you can get the invitations prepared.

The first things we’ll cover together in this article are:

Food & Drink
Activities & Crafts
Scriptures to read for each night of Advent

The free download I mentioned includes hygge party planning worksheets, FYI.

Advent Hygge Party Schedule – One per Week of Advent

The first thing to note is that although it’s a wonderful tradition to observe Advent every Sunday in our homes and congregations, I’m not suggesting you host a large Advent party every one of those week! Remember, this is a hygge party, not an expectation for some large, expensive, exhausting event!

Whom to Invite

Here are a few suggestions on whom and how to invite:

Consider hosting only very close, immediate family the first week of Advent.
The next week, you could invite the neighbors that immediately surround your house. This can be a great way to get to know new people, if you haven’t had the chance to meet them yet.
Week three could include an invitation to one or two people in your congregation who are without family or who are struggling in some other way this year.
The last week of Advent could include an invitation friends of other faiths so that you can share this special time with them and maybe learn a bit about their faith’s traditions for this time of year. Sometimes, the best way to share the gospel is to simply share our family!

If ‘the more, the merrier’ is your motto, may I suggest a unique way of expanding your invitation pool?

When you extend your initial invitation, ask that the attendee bring one or two of their closest friends with them. These may be people with whom you’re familiar, but it often happens that you’ll be making completely new friends this way.

What this does is ensures that everyone who attends your Advent hygge party is a meaningful inclusion – they’re present because they’re connected to someone you love. You can’t hygge without meaningful connection!

Advent Hygge Party Food & Drink

There are no holiday foods specific to Advent celebrations of which I’m aware, but the focus should be on keeping things simple. Simplicity is appropriate for both Advent and hygge.

Since we’re talking about an Advent hygge PARTY, the foods should also be festive and delicious.

You’ll need to decide if you’d like to limit food to treats and drinks, or if you’d like to serve a meal. If you celebrate Advent with a hygge party each of the four weeks, you can mix it up and do something different each week.

If you prefer a good cookbook to online links, I can recommend:

ScandiKitchen Christmas: Recipes and traditions from Scandinavia, by Bronte Aurell – typically authentic and delicious recipes from Ms. Aurell. Her other book, ScandiKitchen: The Essence of Hygge is also good and can help you expand your understanding of true hygge.
Scandinavian Gatherings, by Melissa Bahen (the voice behind LuluTheBaker.com) – not specific to Christmas, but includes the holiday, as well as traditional meals and crafts.

I usually buy my books secondhand at Thriftbooks.com, FYI.

Simple Treats & Drinks

Since this is a hygge party, my suggestion is to keep to traditional Nordic foods for this time of year. This isn’t a requirement, of course, but there’s certainly a wide range of recipes to choose from when you consider Scandinavian Christmas fare.

Favorites of the season from your own culture and heritage are also appropriate, especially when you serve them to your own family.

My family always drinks something delicious and warm as we read our Advent scriptures together. Expand this tradition to include your hygge party guests. If you’re providing paper cups, be sure that they’re double walled to keep hands warm and not hot.

Despite my injunction to try to stick to Scandinavian recipes, most of the drinks I’ve selected are not Nordic in origin simply because traditional drinks for this time of year are typically alcoholic. Since we don’t consume alcohol in our house, I’ve had to get creative with traditional Scandi drinks.

Here are two examples from True North Kitchen – a fabulous Nordic food blog:

Swedish Glogg is very traditional holiday recipe that we change up by substituting Concord grape juice for the red wine. We also sub out the aquavit for cranberry juice.

You can’t get more Scandi than lingonberries and this delicious Lingonberry Cocktail called Swedish 75 is fabulous. To make it non-alcoholic, substitute the gin for water kefir and the sparkling wine with ginger bug or sparkling water.

Other Warm Winter Drinks

Cranberry Punch or Fermented Soda

Homemade Spiced Apple Cider

Golden Milk

Herbal Hot Chocolate

Chaga Chai with Carob and Coconut

Classic Egg Nog with Fresh Ingredients

Non Alcoholic Butterbeer (ala Harry Potter) – you can substitute the brown sugar for coconut sugar for a more caramel flavor

If you’d like to make warms drinks the focus of an expanded potluck experience, you can set up a hot chocolate bar. Or cider, or punch, or eggnog bar. Or offer a variety of all these drinks!

Ask participants to bring warm drink additions like:

Whipped cream
Candy bits – candy canes, chocolate chips, toffee, etc.
Plain or sugared nuts
Coconut flakes

Delicious Hygge Advent Snacks & Treats

If you prefer something savory instead of sweet, try:

Danish Open Faced Sandwiches or Smorrebrod – make it a potluck and have fun with what everyone brings!
Norwegian Lefse – like a potato and flour tortilla with a Nordic flair.
Norwegian Cardamom Rolls or Hveteboller – cardamom is THE spice of the season in Scandinavia.
Sourdough St. Lucia Buns – St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated on December 13th and is popular in Nordic countries even though the celebration is Italian in origin.
Dress any of these with homemade vanilla butter, or your favorite herb butter.

Hygge Holiday Sweet Treats

There are a number of Scandinavian cooking websites you can visit. I’ve already mentioned True North Kitchen. Another worthy inclusion is ScandiCuisine.

However, one of my favorite homestead food writers is Ashley Adamant or Adamant Kitchen. I like her site because her recipes are always real, including fresh ingredients from the homestead and garden, as well as foraged foods and canning recipes. I’m always on her site!

Some time ago Ashley had Pia Sonne (formerly of Busy Hands, Quite Hearts) who is a native of Denmark write several guest post recipes. Ashley also has many recipes she’s adapted to her own kitchen. I’m going to link several below because I’ve used and loved them.

Danish Christmas Cookies or Smakager
Swedish Cinnamon Cookies or Kanelkakor
Danish Cinnamon Snails or Kanelsnagle – a variation of cinnamon rolls, which are popular at any Fika tea
Icelandic Christmas Cake or Jolakaka
Christmas Rice Pudding or Risalamande – rice pudding with a hidden prize inside (kind of like King Cake for 3 King’s Day)

For a seasonal foraged recipe, try serving any of these other treats alongside a hearty helping of Spruce Tip Ice Cream.

Potluck Dinner

If you’re going to be serving dinner to your guests, I suggest a potluck style meal where everyone brings a little something. Soup makes a wonderful hygge choice that is both nourishing and delicious. It’s also easy to dress up and serve with various kinds of bread.

You provide the soup and ask your guests to bring things like:

sour cream
a selection of powdered spices like cumin and mustard
grated cheese or homemade paneer
diced hard boiled eggs or olives for additional protein
bacon bits
chopped green onions, as well as grated veggies like radish and carrot
sourdough rolls or biscuits or even homemade croutons

Some favorite winter soups to consider serving:

Creamy Broccoli

Butternut Squash Bisque

Bean Soup (Made in the Instant Pot)

An alternative to soup would be to serve Biblical Pulse, which is a mixed bean and seed dish similar to chili but without the broth and hot spice.

If your family is large and/or you’ll have a lot of guests, have a few bring soup instead of toppigs – it’s good to have a variety. Be sure to provide a power strip nearby for plugging in crock pots to keep the soups warm.

Advent Hygge Party Candle & Wax Crafts

Eating great food and doing the Advent readings in the next section is really enough to create a cozy Advent hygge party. However, if you have children in attendance or you simply like to include natural crafts, you might consider the following ideas.

I’ve focused my suggestions for activities centered on candles (and wax) since both Advent and hygge are tied to candlelight. During Advent, we spend a lot of time focused on Christ, also known as The Light of the World. Candle crafts just seem appropriate!

Make rolled candles from beeswax sheets. These candles are so easy to make that even children can participate. You can also purchase kits for rolled candles at most craft stores. If you plan to order a kit, do it during the spring or fall when temperatures are neither too hot (causing wax sheets to melt) nor too cold (causing wax sheets to break). To first part of our article on making candles with kids details how to make a simple rolled candle. The instructions are also included in the free Advent resource mentioned in this article.
Put together canning jar lanterns with tissue paper designs. Again, this is simple enough for children to do.
Purchase taper candles and decorate them for the holiday with moldable colored wax.
Make scented wax ornaments from leftover candles. This should only be done with adults and older teens because it does involve hot wax.
Follow these simple instructions to make rustic candle holders for your Advent candles. These can easily be tucked under and around any Advent wreath you put on your table.
Make an Advent candle holder spiral with as many candle spots as you’d like.

Advent Hygge Party Scripture & Special Readings

Probably the most important part of observing Advent is done by reading scriptures together that specifically focus on some aspect of the Savior’s mission, especially His birth, Atonement, and His return. This is fun to do with guests, too!

An Advent party isn’t a riotous event with lots of noise and chaos. This is a hygge party that should evoke peace, joy, and love.

Some Bible readings to consider adding to your Advent reading list include the following. We’ve also added some popular Christian hymns to sing together. All this information is included in your Advent worksheets as part of the free download made available above.

(There are different versions of the Bible and you may already have a favorite, but here is a link to a pretty standard King James version of the Holy Bible.)

First Sunday Advent Readings

This is the week to focus on hope.

Isaiah 9:2 – 7; Isaiah 2: 2-5
Exodus 34:5-7, some of the names of Christ.
Hymn: Silent Night

Second Sunday Advent Readings

This is the week to focus on peace.

Isaiah 40:3-5; Isaiah 11:1-10
Luke 1:46-55, called the Magnificat, this is Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel announcing her mission as the mother of Jesus.
Hymn: O Come All Ye Faithful

Third Sunday Advent Readings

This is the week to focus on joy.

Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalms 146:5-10
Luke 2:4-17, the Nativity story that you’ve heard before even if all you know about Christmas is what you’ve seen on the Charlie Brown Christmas special.
Hymn: Joy to the World

Fourth Sunday Advent Readings

This is the week to focus on Love.

John 3:16-19; John 1:14
Isaiah 12:2-6
John 14:3, Matthew 24: 30-31, these focus on the return of the Savior.
Hymn: Angels We Have Heard on High

Special Christmas Eve Advent Readings

Psalms 96
Hebrews 10: 32, 35-39
John 14:18
Hymn: O Come, O Come Emmanuel or Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

There are also other worthy books that might be included:

Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional, by Asheritah Ciuciu and God With Us: A Family Advent Celebration, by Catherine Pawlak, are both quality Advent/family oriented books that will provide devotional readings, discussion ideas, and suggested activities.
Advent Devotions & Christmas Crafts for Families: 24 Scripture Reflections & Simple Projects to Anticipate Christ’s Birth, by Victoria Duerstock, is another fun one for families.
For adults and teens, try Joy To The World: Daily Readings For Advent, by Charles H. Spurgeon