Whether it is a habit you’re already an expert at, or it’s something you’re willing to give a try this holiday season, kalsarikännit certainly provides a novel way of looking at life
During the holidays you may have found yourself staring at your planner or calendar in dismay: How do you fit in drinks with your friends, a company dinner, Christmas Eve (or Day or both) with your family, and perhaps even a pre-holiday date or two? How do you stay on top of all the invitations sent by DM, email, text, WhatsApp, and every other form of communication that exists these days? How do you survive the non-stop Groundhog Day-like series of lunches, dinners, and drinks, and somehow squeeze in a few hours at the gym too – after all, no one wants to start the new year with “get back on track” at the top of their list of resolutions? There is only one solution: Don’t bother with any of it. If you think this is the attitude of a Grinch, think again. The Finns have made it a lifestyle – and even found some mental peace in the process.
Not content with having given the world the sauna, xylitol, and Nokia phones (yes, they are all Finnish inventions), it seems that the residents of Europe’s northernmost latitudes have now also found a perfectly satisfying way to handle the many social engagements that crowd everyone’s days during the holidays. They have even coined a new term: kalsarikännit. It is a compound of kalsari (underwear) and kännit (intoxication or drunkenness) and it means exactly what you imagine it would: Getting drunk in your underwear.
Or, if you prefer, it describes the habit of staying indoors in your comfortable clothes (or without any clothes) and ignoring any kind of external engagement or obligation while sipping a glass or two of wine (you decide the number, but the point is not to get plastered). In Finland, they are so proud of kalsarikännit (it’s pronounced more or less as it looks, but if you want more guidance than that, this YouTube video will be helpful) that they even included it in a set of custom Finnish emoji released a few years ago. (Yes, Finland is the first country in the world to have its own custom set of emoji, it appears.)
It is hardly surprising that this type of solitary recreation was popularised by Finns, who have a reputation—perhaps due to the country’s harsh climate—for being rather introverted, not interested in small talk, and very protective of their personal space (we are well aware that these are clichés, but there are also, perhaps, kernels of truth to them). In any case, we think there’s something to be said for the bah-humbug attitude.
For a few years now, health authorities have been talking about what has been called the “holiday blues,” a mixture of fatigue, anxiety, and depression linked to the arrival of the holidays and the common feeling of being forced into commitments that don’t excite us as we run the social and gastronomic gauntlet of celebrations. The antidotes to holiday stress are many, but the Finnish approach of permitting ourselves to relax at home doesn’t seem so bad.
Photo: Olof Grind
The idea of kalsarikännit is also completely new, unlike another Scandinavian concept that preceded it, hygge, a Danish term that refers to a certain sense of comfortable conviviality. Designers and magazines have long been eager to tell us how to achieve hygge levels of cosiness. The newer concept of kalsarikännit first appeared outside of Finland around 2017, when American publications started to take an interest in the phenomenon. Vogue pointed out that the term, which has sometimes been translated as “pants-drunk,” provided a new euphemism for “those weekend nights when you didn’t have plans anyways.”
The trend also experienced an unexpected revival in 2020 with the arrival of the COVID pandemic. We were all forced to rediscover the pleasures of staying at home, donning our favourite loungewear, and grabbing the first bottle of rosé that we saw. But we have also had some excellent teachers – or perhaps we should say pioneers? – in the form of The Simpsons. In an episode aired in 2024, Homer is hired at a new Finnish-owned nuclear power plant and when his new boss explains to him that the wellbeing of the employees is thanks to kalsarikännit, or drinking at home in their underwear, Bart replies, “But I did it before it was cool!”
Whether it is a habit you’re already an expert at, or it’s something you’re willing to give a try this holiday season, kalsarikännit certainly provides a novel way of looking at life. When feeling crushed by too many commitments, too many notifications, too many stresses, we can learn from the Finns and remember that (almost) everything can wait till tomorrow. The world won’t end. Behind the funny name, there’s also the idea of enforcing clear boundaries when it comes to our personal space, protecting ourselves from the distractions and burdens of contemporary life.
We don’t think it’s a coincidence that the UN World Happiness Report has named Finland the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year. So let’s follow the Finns’ lead and learn to relax – especially during the meals and celebrations of the holidays. It’s okay to skip an event or two when you need to, put on a comfortable pair of pajamas, grab a blanket, and pour yourself a drink. You can always be more social in the new year.