I wonder when most people tend to get going on taking their Christmas decorations down?
There are always those who pull out all the bins and take down every remnant the day after. There are those who keep it up through the turning of the year. And others who still have their trees up and decorated well into the winter.
I once kept my tree up for the entire winter. I called it my “winter tree.” I had taken all the ornaments down early in the new year but decided I didn’t want to give up the glow of the tree in my dark living room. I loved that look that year!
I think it’s fine if your mood is to take things down right away or linger with keeping them up. Your home is your own and it’s important to allow it to feel like us.
For those who are ready to reset after all the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and are looking for a more gentle transition from the fullness of Christmas to the quiet and calm of winter, here are some ideas for a soft reset and refreshing your home after the holidays, without rushing winter.
Pack Christmas Decor Away Intentionally
This is my personal approach this year. I discovered that my long-term storage area for Christmas decor wasn’t as well thought-out as I’d like. So, this year, before packing everything back up into their bins, I’m going through everything and doing an edit. Then I will do a tidy and declutter of the actual corner of my attic, placing the carefully packed bins back in an order where next year, I can pull them out again slowly and intentionally, gently adding the layers of Christmas festivity back to my home’s atmosphere.
Let Winter Linger
This can be achieved by allowing those candles, softly lit diffusers and low-wattage bulbs to remain a feature around your home. One of the items I keep out until they’re fully exhausted are the windowsill candles.
Other ideas to achieve this hygge-quality, rotate some of the soft blankets. Hang a couple of cozy shawls on the backs of chairs to pull over when the mercury drops. Layering warmth through textiles invites you to snuggle up, pause and enjoy some white space to just be.
Swap Festive Colors for Calming Ones
Switching out those reds and greens will be a part of your intentional packing away of your Christmas decor. In its place, consider muted earth tones or creams and taupes. These colors help to ground both your space and yourself in your home environment.
Here is where some forethought as you collect your holiday decor comes in handy. Purchasing items that are holiday-adjacent will help to fill in where it may feel like a void has been left from the editing out of Christmas-specific. Think in terms of wooden trees, winter scenes, or greenery in vases.
Open Windows Briefly on Sunny Days
I personally find the brilliance of a winter sun filtering through my windows to stop me in my tracks. It’s so beautiful! Often, the air outside is just as brilliant and invigorating when you step out for a minute or two to breathe in deeply.
Why not take advantage of the sunny day and open windows in a room to get a little fresh air in to remove any stuffiness? Set a timer for a half hour or an hour and close the door. You’ll be amazed by how some fresh air will freshen everything about that space.
Establish a “Reset Ritual” for Yourself Each Afternoon
Give yourself a moment to look forward to over the course of a long day. Perhaps you could pause to make some tea, refill the diffuser with your favorite winter-scented essential oil or complete a light tidy - not a declutter, just a setting things back “just so.” Take a moment to observe the natural world outside your window: the beauty of a snow-covered yard, birds chattering to each other, squirrels rummaging around for that nut they knew they buried somewhere in the corner of your garden.
Taking these moments help us move through what can often be long, dark, hard months. Look for ways to bring grace, calm, harmony into your home and into your domestic routines. It will make a difference in the long run.
