Christmas has come and gone, and another New Year is upon us. Saying goodbye to Christmas may be a welcome relief for some, but not for me. I love Christmas and I am counting the days until the next one. ,
As I packed away all my beautiful holiday treasures, the melancholy of the memories hit me. I felt a sadness and an emptiness as I looked around at my minimally decorated home without all of the colorful festive cheer of Christmas. It was like packing up “happy” and looking at “sad”. It would be eleven months until I take it all out again to revel in the beautiful sights and sounds that make Christmas so wonderfully festive.
On New Year’s morning, I put those memories to bed, and pondered what I would do to keep some of the festive charm around my home at the start of this new year. A few years ago, a friend gave me a Martha Stewart magazine about decorating for winter. I quickly adapted some of her ideas and made them my own.
Winter is different things for different people. Some find the barrenness and bleakness depressing, while others find it to be a time of continual wonder. Consider the freshness of the fallen snow, the sparkle of the icicles glistening day and night, or a hint of red berries contrasting the pure white snow.
A random scripture verse popped into my mind. “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18”ESV). I’m redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, a new creation in Christ for a new year! Hallelujah, my sins are washed away and I have a fresh start. The stillness of the cold, starry night Jesus was born, as creation glistened all around, warms my heart.
Solomon wrote: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiasties 3:1 ESV) That is both figurative and literal. So, I’m literally moving forward into this next season celebrating winter.
Living in sunny Florida is a blessing that I sometimes take for granted, because I’m not a fan of hot weather, and I miss all that winter beauty I enjoyed growing up in a northern climate. I have so many wonderful memories about that too. The chill in the air as I walked home from school, the smell of the piles of leaves burning in the air as the trees stood strong and barren, waiting for their first blanket of snow. Then the sound and smell of wood burning, crackling in the fireplace as hot cider sat waiting on the stove. I would peel off layers of warm clothes and embrace the coziness of home, settling in for the night.
Christmas may be over for another year, but God’s goodness and kindness is here to stay. I declare I will allow Christmas joy to continue to delight me and spill over all around. Every day can be Christmas with the right mindset. If I keep the eyes of my heart focused on Jesus and continue to rejoice in my salvation, then what is truly important, (loving God and loving people) will keep Christmas alive in me.
Now, regarding my winter decor, with the help of Martha Stewart, Pinterest and a fabulous co-worker who also loves this sort of thing, I can have merry winter decorations continue to elicit feelings of joy. Here are some ideas for winterizing your decor from my house to yours.
Below are some pictures of some things that I’ve done in my home.
Embrace shades of white, and other neutral tones, reminiscent of the shades of winter that lend itself to your interior design. Think about highlighting with silver, crystal, and a subtle pop of crimson. I change my accent pillows with inexpensive pillow covers and throw blankets (reasonably priced on Amazon). Maybe one or two can have some sparkle or faux fur on it. I like to keep my holiday poinsettias up until Valentine’s Day. (The red will also lend itself nicely to some Valentine decor, come February.) Keeping evergreen around my poinsettias is evocative of the vibrancy of winter. Those two plants thrive in the cold, pair together beautifully, and stand in exquisite contrast against the nakedness of nature around it.
You can make motifs using crystal and/or silver vases and trays filled with pops of winter sparkle to bring touches of winter charm throughout your home. Think ice! I have large crystal (wineglass) candle holders that I fill with fake snow, silver pine cones and a few crimson berries sitting on a crystal tray with an ice candle in the middle as a coffee table centerpiece.
I cut the sleeves off an old white sweater and use it as a cozy around a favorite candle or vase. The use of plug-ins or room mists in pine and juniper will evoke those joyful memories of Christmas through out the winter season. Make a flower arrangement of white flowers with winter greens in shades of sage and gray. (Hobby Lobby is a good place to buy artificial flora as they often run good sales.) I have learned that good quality artificial flowers is a better investment than the real thing.
For a fun winter night light, wrap fairy lights around a “pampa grass” filled vase. My final touch is keeping a YouTube fireplace on my television with my favorite music. (There are so many to choose from.) It’s new sights and sounds of the winter season to revel in. I hope this blog inspires you to get creative decorating yours, if you enjoy that sort of thing. When winter is over and spring has sprung, I’m ready to change it up again with my favorite memories of spring.
God bless you all abundantly in 2024! I wish you a “Merry Winter” and thank you for reading my blog.
Nancy: This was wonderful. I especially liked, “Christmas may be over for another year, but God’s goodness and kindness is here to stay. I declare I will allow Christmas joy to continue to delight me and spill over all around. ” Thank you for your creative and budget friendly decorating tips. They all look beautiful.