The French art of 'cocooning'
Cold weather brings warming vibes
Paris got its first snow on Thursday and it was delightful. It snowed all day long: fat, wet flakes that actually accumulated. I would hesitate to call it a snow storm, but for Paris, it was as close as it gets. Luckily for me, I didn’t have anything to do, so I stayed home and enjoyed watching the winter weather out my window.
Every so often, something called the World Happiness Report is published. It ranks the ‘happiness’ of countries around the world based on a number of socio-economic factors. The 2024 report saw Finland topping the rankings, again, with Denmark close behind.
Some would say the Danish concept of hygge is one of the reasons it’s one of the happiest countries. Hygge is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)”.
Hilariously, the Finns have their own concept, kalsarikännit, which translates to getting drunk at home alone in one’s underwear with no plans to go out.
The French also have a word that ranks on the coziness scale: le cocooning.
When I first moved to Paris almost three years ago, I made sure to follow various francophone social media accounts on ‘X’ so that I could see what’s trending in France. One thing I kept coming across was the word cocooning. According to the French-language dictionary Le Robert, cocooning is defined as ‘the act of resting in cozy comfort.’
When I search the term ‘cocooning’ on ‘X’, there are posts suggesting warming meals, clothing (pajamas, bathrobes, slippers, etc), photos of cats, cozy lighting, comfy furniture — you get the idea.
A really good example is from a French woman I follow on ‘X’ whose moniker is 'Paulette à bicyclette’. She often posts photos from cozy cafes, bars, or the streets of Paris, with cocooning vibes in full effect. Here’s a good example:
I came across a recent article in the French Psychologies magazine, which offered tips for those seeking respite from the winter blues, à la cocooning:
It suggests:
Watching holiday movies
Reconnecting with puzzles and games (which the French call jeux de société literally translating to ‘society games’ but really refers to board games)
Working on some DIY in your home or other renovation projects
Doing some drawing or painting
Scheduling an evening for some self-care and wellbeing
In my fantasy world, someday I will have a Parisian apartment that is decked out in cozy furniture, good lighting, and finds from the local marchés aux puces, or flea markets. I can envision in this space what my idea of cocooning will look like:
a cup of coffee or herbal tea
jazz on the radio (TSF Jazz radio station in Paris fulfills this need)
a good book
perhaps some knitting
warm socks
a hot water bottle
Over to you, now, Dear Readers: what do you do to achieve cocooning vibes?
Man cave, fire in wood stove, F1 race on TV. Doesn’t get better.
A nice glass of vin rouge, candles, a fluffy blanket and some calming music