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Winter has come, but rather than recoiling from the Polar Vortex as if it were something out of a "Game of Thrones" episode, we could just give it a big Scandinavian hygge.

In Danish, the word hygge听(pronounced "hyOOguh") is more about the social process that goes into seeing winter as a time to be cozy, snuggly, and entrenched in the warmth that comes with cold, rather than fighting the dark days.

Weather reports听herald the Polar Vortex, a blast of cold air sweeping over the central and eastern United States, that is expected to linger through听January 17.

Snow is falling in Norfolk, Va., and on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where, on Christmas Day, residents had seen temperatures approaching 80 degrees.

The result is a flurry of emotions ranging from angst to elation. Those hoping that southern real estate means no snow are in for disappointment.

鈥淭he word for what you need in the cold and dark of winter is definitely Hygge and while it exists in Norwegian, the Danish seem to have a lock on it,鈥� says听Frank Hugus, professor of German and Scandinavian studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in an interview. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e talking to someone who has lived in New England for more than 40 years so to me, Danish winters are not so bad.鈥�

Prof. Hugus speaks Danish and has spent a good deal of time studying in Denmark where he says that winter doldrums fail to take hold because of 鈥渁 sense of wellbeing and of being at one with your environment both inside and outside.鈥�

According to the听World Happiness Report听compiled by the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the world's five happiest nations are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Canada. The US was ranked 15th.

The one thing the happiest of the happy have in common is the warm welcome they give cold weather.

Hugus says that Scandinavians, and Danes in particular, do a lot of socializing in the winter, 鈥淭hey understand that the dark time of year the sun will come up around听nine o鈥檆lock听and go down around听2:30. And they understand that this is part of the world.鈥�

It is a Danish proverb that advises听Bedre at t忙nde et lys, end at forbande m酶rket, which translates to "Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.鈥�

Although a Swedish proverb is a bit more practical about winter, reminding us that听Det finns inget d氓ligt v盲der, bara d氓liga kl盲der听or, 鈥淭here is no bad weather, only bad clothing.鈥�

He adds that with that socializing comes food and drink that adds a 鈥渃ozy dimension鈥� to the winter to help chase the doldrums.

鈥淚f I were in Virginia or let alone Florida or Georgia, this [weather] would be just terrible,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a big difference between how we in New England and Denmark deal with winter.鈥�

However, Hugus says it鈥檚 not something we can quickly alter culturally with a single cold snap. 鈥淵ou have to adjust yourself physically and mentally to the fact that it鈥檚 going to be cold.鈥�

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 let it stop you, from going out to cultural events like concerts or being with friends just because it鈥檚 cold,鈥� he adds.

Also, he says, 鈥淚 think that also there is a base level of wellbeing there that comes from, as [Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders has been want to say, the fact that the Danish take care of one another. They are a social democratic country and they and other Scandinavian countries really put the well in welfare.鈥�

In addition to more hearty food and socializing, humor is a key that Americans might be able to pocket.

鈥淚 remember once I took a flight from Copenhagen to the island of听Bornholm听on a small plane. We took off in a raging blizzard. We landed in a raging blizzard,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he flight attendant announced 鈥榃e鈥檝e landed in Bornholm鈥�. I think.鈥� Because you really couldn鈥檛 see a thing out the windows. There鈥檚 humor. The Danes have a way of putting a sympathetic, wry humor to things. They might say, 鈥楽o, this is winter and we just hope it works out.鈥欌��