We enthusiastically decorate our homes for Christmas and enjoy the lights and colors all season long! But then the calendar turns to January, it all comes down and the home feels bare. It doesn’t have to be that way! While your blow-up Santa needs to go back into his box, there’s plenty of seasonal decor that can be put up well in advance of the holidays and continue to cheer our homes until the snow melts.

Winter Decorating

There’s Christmas decorating and there’s winter decorating, and most of us do both in November and December. Reindeer, Christmas trees and manger scenes belong strictly to the Yuletide season, but other frosty decor, such as pine cones, snowscape art and decorative winter candles, can be put up as soon as the weather turns chilly and continue to be appropriate in January and February.

There are at least two ways to enjoy wintry decor all season long. First, select some Christmas decorations that speak more to winter than the holiday itself, then leave them up for a few extra months on display. Second, when the lights and ornaments get packed away, renew the home with colors and decor that make your home comfortable and welcoming all winter long.

Winter Time Is Cozy Time

When we close our front door against wintry blasts, we like to be surrounded by a cheerful home that feels warm and protected from the chill outside. That delicious coziness doesn’t have to end just because the reds and greens of Christmas have been relegated to the attic! Learn how to layer in some warmth with your winter home decor.

Winter Colors and Design

There’s more than one color combo to make you snug and comfortable during the cold days and dark evenings! Warm and soft shades of brown and tinted creamy neutrals create a homey indoor feel, especially with tints like dusty pink and peach. These can be accented by darker woods. If your space is a light neutral, it’s amazing how a few black and brown accessories immediately up the warmth level. Ditto with deep, rich colors such as burgundy and caramel.

Also, winter is prime time for the rustic farmhouse or Northwoods look! Weathered-look furniture, knit throw blankets and greenery all reinforce the glorious feeling that you’ve got everything you need indoors regardless of what Old Man Winter is doing outside. And, of course, anything plaid makes it all that much better!

Note that buttoned down and cozy doesn't mean gloomy! During the daytime, open up the curtains and let in the sunshine, and rely on a floor lamp or maybe a sconce to keep it bright and cheerful in the evening. A few metallics, especially copper with its fire, add warmth that underscores the light.

Winter’s Patterns and Textures

Few patterns are a better match for cooler weather than plaid. And there are so many color combos to choose from! You can even keep some of Christmas’s reds. Comforting plaids might include greens, blues, greys, blacks and all conceivable shades of brown. They accentuate the season in pillows and throw blankets, and that splash of plaid transforms a sofa or bed. You can drape a plaid blanket over the back of a wooden or upholstered chair or adorn a dining table with a plaid tablecloth. Other ideas are even as simple as adding a placemat, plaid table runner or a wintery mini throw to a sofa table top, cocktail table or oversized ottoman for the winter season.

Winter is also the time for texture! Think fluffy knit blankets, fringed pillows and even faux hide area rugs. Try incorporating texture in layers, for example, a bed with a sheepskin and some plush pillows laid atop a sumptuous comforter.

These seasonal elements can also create cozy corners. You can “winterize” a reading nook; a blanket and pillow on your favorite chair practically beg you to settle in and curl up! Speaking of curling up, some winter rooms focus on the fireplace. You might rearrange furniture to orient to the hearth, with textured blankets and pillows distributed among the pieces. If your home isn’t blessed with a chimney, consider an electric fireplace. They’re clean, safe and fuss-free, and they warm the spirit as well as the body!

Winsome Winter Home Decor

Plaid and texture are ideal components for establishing your snug seasonal ambiance, but there’s no reason to stop there! Consider, for example, natural items that are as pleasing indoors as they are in nature. Pine cones, natural, faux or flocked, can fill a silver or wooden bowl with wintry delight! Many wreaths are suitable for display well beyond December 25. Also, a few logs in a rustic holder, whether or not they’re the kind that burn, create an accent that reminds us of the best things about the season.

Mantles and tabletops provide a canvas for winter creativity. Embellish them with candles, vases, table sculptures and even baskets of bells and ornaments that aren’t too Christmassy. White decor can blend surprisingly well with a winter theme, even in a coastal look with seashells and coral. Don’t forget the dinner table, which can be set with plaid place mats or a wintery table runner and maybe an item or two or frosted greenery.

Alternatively, for an elegant wintery look, focus on white and transparent elements. Combine winter colors of: crystal, silver, white, frosted or sugared white on decor items, glass vases, table sculptures and orbs in a bowl. Crystal snowflakes in a window can add brightness with winter sunlight refracting about a room.

Your walls can join the winter celebration with artworks featuring the snowy season. And don’t forget about fragrance! Use pine needle potpourri or scented pine cones in a bowl to delight all the senses! Scented candles can also add to the atmosphere all season long.

A Promise of Spring

One of the best things about winter is that it foretells the approach of spring! Your winter theme might include a hint or two of what’s coming in a few months. Try a little brightness in one or two of your pillows or some realistic flowers, perhaps white tulips, amid artificial greenery. Sunlight-loving metallics provide light and warmth in winter while assuring that even more is just around the corner!

The relatively short holiday season doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate winter for months on end! Use Christmas-neutral winter trimming for some of your Yuletide decorating, and add a few more wintertime components when you pack the Christmas items away!