04/01/2026
Here’s our Sunday Girl, Revd Ann Gibbs. This week her Reflection is called ‘The joy of snerdling’. Photo: recharging by the fire is a crucial part of the CEO’s daily regime in winter and woe betide anyone who interrupts this process.
“O bed! O bed! delicious bed! That heaven upon earth to the weary head.”
(Thomas Hood)
I wonder how you filled the gap between Christmas and New Year? It is a strange time when many of us forget what day it is – especially if we have had extended holidays over the festive period. I did work, but having services on lots of days of the week did mean that I sometimes had to check when Sunday was! I was also extremely tired by the time I had completed the last service on Christmas Day, and glad to find some time for periods of rest, working or not. I am not one who indulges in lie ins but, over the last ten days, on days I didn’t have early appointments, I had to agree with Emmy Rossum who said, "It's the best feeling when you wake up and it's warm and cozy, and you don't have to go to work."
Those of you who regularly read these reflections will know that I am a bit of a logophile – I like words, especially unusual or rare ones. I came across such a word just recently and it describes perfectly that feeling and that word is ‘snerdle’. This is a rare dialect word from two to three hundred years ago and it means to snuggle up under the bed covers, warm and cosy, delaying the moment one steps out of bed so that the comfort can be enjoyed a little longer. It is about embracing that particular form of warmth and nestling down to relish being in a cocoon, accompanied by that special feeling of drowsiness where the cares of the world just evaporate.
It is rare for most of us that we can engage in the practice of snerdling but I recommend it as an occasional indulgence. We spend too much of our lives hurtling from one thing to the next without ever really stopping to recharge our batteries fully. “I'm a big believer in small, dark, cozy bedrooms. I would describe myself as introspective – I feel things first, and then I think them through – and I need the enveloping comfort of a little squirrel's nest when I have to retreat from the world to recharge.” (Michael Bastian)
If perhaps you are one of those who likes to leap from your bed the minute your eyes are opened then, in these colder months, peiskos (another great word!) might suit you. This Norwegian word describes the contented feeling of sitting by a crackling fire, allowing oneself to drift in thinking, soothed by its warmth. You can tell, I have spent the last few days in hibernation mode, retreating from the hurly burly of the normal day to day and giving myself the chance to replenish my energy levels. It is something we all need to do but often neglect. Just occasionally we would all benefit from a little bit of snerdling or peiskos.
“My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint."
(The Book of Job 7:13)
