5 Holiday Poetry Prompts

It's Hygge Time

This Danish concept (pronounced hoo-gah) is adopted worldwide, I think especially in climates that presuppose the need for frequent warming and cozying! Louisa Thomsen Brits, the author of The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection, calls it “a practical way of creating sanctuary in the middle of very real life.”  This New Yorker article claims winter as the most Hygge time of year: "Hygge can be found in a bakery and in the dry heat of a sauna in winter, surrounded by your naked neighbors. It’s wholesome and nourishing, like porridge; Danish doctors recommend tea and hygge as a cure for the common cold. It’s possible to hygge alone, wrapped in a flannel blanket with a cup of tea, but the true expression of hygge is joining with loved ones in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. ​" 

​And THAT'S how today's first poetry writing prompts originated.  Check out the mentor poem before writing to the prompts.

Illustration by Amsterdam artist, Sanny van Loon for an article in MARGRIET magazine (NL) about the Danish concept 'Hygge.' See more of van Loon's work at www.sannyvanloon.com

Gif by Marc Rosenthal

First Mentor Poem 

Neighbours: The Night The Lights Went Out
ANGI HOLDEN

She took a small canvas bag
from the cupboard under the sink,
filled it with an assortment of nightlights –
vanilla, blueberry, winter spice –
added a couple of dumpy glass holders,
a box of matches, a bar of chocolate.
The house on the corner was in darkness,
the knock on the door answered
with a tentative ‘Who’s there?’
Years later, they laughed about the tea,
the water boiled in a pan on the gas ring;
the shortbread eaten straight from a tin
intended as a Christmas gift;
the chocolate eaten square by square;
the shimmering candle flames
shining light into the darkest corners.
​
SOURCE: Poets' Corner

Poetry Writing Prompts 1 and 2

• How do you hygge? Write a poem, outlining the steps.
• Or, write a poem that vividly captures  a specific hygge moment.

Second Mentor Poem

The Death of Santa Claus
CHARLES HARPER WEBB

He's had the chest pains for weeks,
but doctors don't make house
calls to the North Pole,
 
he's let his Blue Cross lapse,
blood tests make him faint,
hospital gown always flap
 
open, waiting rooms upset
his stomach, and it's only
indigestion anyway, he thinks,

until, feeding the reindeer,
he feels as if a monster fist
has grabbed his heart and won't

stop squeezing. He can't
breathe, and the beautiful white
world he loves goes black,

and he drops on his jelly belly
in the snow and Mrs. Claus
tears out of the toy factory
 
wailing, and the elves wring
their little hands, and Rudolph's
nose blinks like a sad ambulance
 
light, and in a tract house
in Houston, Texas, I'm 8,
telling my mom that stupid
 
kids at school say Santa's a big
fake, and she sits with me
on our purple-flowered couch,
 
and takes my hand, tears
in her throat, the terrible
news rising in her eyes.​

SOURCE: Library of Congress

Poetry Writing Prompts 3, 4, and 5

• Vividly relay the moment when you learned the truth about Santa Claus. (Remember, you can fictionalize.)

Two point of view prompts I particularly like (ala Read Poetry):

• Write a poem from the p.o.v. of the Salvation Army bellringer
• Write a poem from the p.o.v. of someone on duty Christmas eve or day

​​

Finally . . .

How many Hygge points?

Hygge: Scandinavian Culture

Albert King