It’s time to get your house cozy for Christmas! Sure, lighting a fire in the fireplace and putting up a Christmas tree create magic; it’s also a great time of year to cozify your home. Set an entire seasonal mood with special touches like extra lights, candles, and other bits of holiday flair to turn your home into a Christmas haven that you might not want to leave.
A New Rug? Is it time to add a couple of extra rugs to the home? Maybe something fluffy and warm. You can even layer rugs on top of each other during the winter to make a big statement!
A New Pouf? With the holiday guests pouring in, you will surely need extra seating. A pouf is a soft spot to sit; they come in many shapes and sizes but are essentially a cross between a stool and a beanbag. I find the sturdier ones are better to use as extra seating for guests, plus you can tuck them under the coffee table if you want when they aren’t in use.
Add Greenery. Add a fresh garland (or fake if you prefer) to your fireplace mantle. Pine, magnolia, eucalyptus, or even juniper look beautiful. Add some pine cones and white lights – or a few sprigs of holly for a cheery touch.
Bring it into the Bedroom. Bring the Christmas decor into the bedrooms! Wreaths on the windows, a holiday garland above the bed. It all adds a festive and cozy touch.
Sheepskins – Add sheepskins everywhere you can. On the couch, draped on the end of the bed, as a soft landing when you climb out of bed, in a cozy reading chair.
Soft Throw Blankets – Drape throw blankets on the sofa, chairs, add one or two to the end of the beds. And more in a basket in the living room. I genuinely believe that no one ever had too many blankets!
If you haven’t already, add many holiday accents to the dining room. It’s another area of the house where we spend a lot of time during the holidays! Add greenery to the light fixture above the table. Include a pretty holiday-themed centerpiece and maybe even some homemade snowflakes to the window (they are so easy to make with white coffee filters!).
Create a grouping of tape candles! Find some candle holders at the thrift store, or pull out what you already have. If your holders are gunky with old wax, it’s an easy fix to run the wax under hot water in your faucet – it peels right off. Try darker, moodier colors this year than the white or beeswax shades. A deep blue, green, or even magenta are having their moment! While taper candles have always been a holiday season mainstay, darker, moodier shades are having a moment this season.
Pomegranates! You heard me right! Pomegranates. They are THE fruit of the holidays, and they look all reddish and shiny in a wood bowl with some greenery or magnolia leaves. Use this as a centerpiece or on the island in your kitchen.
Don’t neglect the bathroom – So I already behooved you to gussy up your Bedroom in holiday decor, but another room you shouldn’t forget is the bathroom. Bring some holiday cheer into the room. Add some of the kitschier items that might not fit into other home areas. Maybe some vintage Santa figurines or snow globe. Adding some eucalyptus or other lovely smelling greenery in a little vase is a nice touch too.
Make your drinks sparkle and shine with dressed-up ice cubes! Take some fresh cranberries, raspberries, a little rosemary, and fresh mint leaves and add them to your ice cube trays before pouring in the water. Your glass of water or gin and tonic even will bear the festive implements.
A light in every window – Although I don’t live in the New England countryside where you’re likelier to find these little candelabras in every window, they are still a sweet, cozy touch in any home in any window. I like the single bulb style placed in our sunroom windows. They give off a relaxed, softer, and to me, more welcoming glow than a big string of lights.