8 Components of a Cozy Christmas Home
As I look to encourage you on your journey of motherhood and home, there are times when I will share our home with you and this post is one of those times. It is my heart’s desire to focus on making your home warm, cozy, and inviting rather than simply focusing on Christmas decorations. So come along as we discover 8 components of a cozy Christmas home!
A Deeper Meaning for Decor
Let me begin with a story from a little over a year ago. As I was considering rebranding my previous blog I was exploring different avenues. Creating a beautiful, loving, warm, and cozy home has always been a passion of mine. With that in mind, I decided maybe I should help others with their homes and see if I can get paid for it.
I put the word out and started to get calls from friends asking me to help. I met with a few people and offered my advice but I wanted to do it for free in order to gain experience before I really marketed myself. Boy, am I glad I did that!
What I Learned
Through it all, I learned something about myself. I don’t decorate our home for the simple reason of giving us a pretty home. Let me explain. as I started to help these “clients” (even though I wasn’t charging them) I realized that I didn’t really enjoy picking colors and making design decisions for other people’s homes. There was a disconnect and I had to really do some soul-searching as to why I wasn’t enjoying it.
It didn’t take me long to find my answer and this experience was extremely illuminating for me. What I love instead, is creating a space that is warm and inviting and feels like a cozy Christmas home for MY family and friends. That is where my joy comes from as I make our house a home.
I am so thankful that I even ventured out into the world of design (even if it was short-lived 😛) because I learned this very important truth about myself. I thought about the plans we had that evening for dinner at our home with dear friends. The thought of preparing the food, setting the table, and creating an atmosphere where they felt loved and cared for excited me.
Even at 57 years old I am still learning about myself and growing. So as short-lived as that was, (even this past week someone reached out and wanted me to work on some design for them) I am glad I tried it.
I want to give the following caveat to my friends. If you are a friend reading this please don’t hesitate to ask me for help because I love you and I don’t mind bouncing around ideas and talking design but I don’t want to ask anyone to pay me for it.
Given what I just told you, I want this post where I share our home this holiday season to have a deeper meaning than just pretty holiday decorations. My desire is to help you create a cozy home for Christmas.
Create Your Cozy Christmas
First of all, a big part of a cozy Christmas home is the atmosphere you create in your home. It starts with a feeling of love and a resounding focus on Jesus, the greatest gift ever given to us. Let love live in your home this season through Jesus and through you mama.
The Smells of Christmas
I’ve said it in many of my posts, but scented candles are a must in our home. The Christmas scents I recommend are pine, cinnamon, cloves, oranges, peppermint, and ginger. Candles are wonderful but you can use wax melts or oils or plug-ins too. I will even throw a pot of cinnamon sticks, orange slices, and cloves in water on the stove. This will make your home smell amazing.
The Sounds of Christmas
Music! Christmas music, especially this time of year, is also a MUST! Christmas music is upbeat and happy and it just flat-out makes you joyful. And who doesn’t want joy in their home?!
You, mama, set the tone in your home! Get that Christmas music bumpin’!! The last few days I’ve come downstairs in the morning and the first words out of my mouth are “Alexa, Play Christmas music” And miraculously, she does!!
The Sights of Christmas
Lighting! Twinkle lights and battery-operated candles help set the mood. Often in the evenings, we will watch a show or a Hallmark movie with just the lights from the Christmas tree and a couple of battery-operated flickering candles. Oh and add a cup of hot chocolate with whip cream, yes ma’am, the perfect evening. Mood set!
Let’s Decorate a Cozy Christmas Home
The atmosphere is now at optimal capacity. Let me share with you some areas I styled this year to create that cozy Christmas vibe. First, the fireplace. Three different garlands adorn our mantle. You will find an evergreen pine garland, a gold leaf garland, and a macrame garland with balls.
I didn’t have to purchase much this year but I did buy two tall gold furry Christmas trees at Hobby Lobby for 60% off. I placed them on each side of the TV and added vintage brass candlesticks to each side as well. Our stockings are hung two on each side. Next year, however, it will only be two total as our last two kiddos are getting married this coming summer.
Let’s move to the kitchen. I have to hold myself back in this room. We as moms are in the kitchen A LOT! For peace of mind, I’m going to recommend not cluttering up the kitchen with a lot of stuff because that is where it all happens. But, of course, be sure to add Christmas even if in a small way.
8 Components of a Cozy Christmas Home
A few little trees, some garland around my kitchen window, a green faux garland on top of my hutch, and some dried orange slices help to make the kitchen just perfect and festive. The natural elements such as dried oranges and greens really fit in our kitchen. See how to make the oranges here:
How to Make Dried Oranges Slices
- Slice oranges and lay them on paper towels.
- Pat to remove excess juice.
- Heat oven to 250.
- Lay out orange slices in a single layer on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 2 hours until dry and reaches your desired color.
- Poke a hole in and make a garland, glue it to a metal wreath holder for a wreath, or attach twine and use it for ornaments.
DIY Your Christmas Decor
Our home is made up of treasures found at thrift stores. You can see more of those treasures in my post Thrifting: How to Thrift and What to Look For, Facebook marketplace, and stores like Hobby Lobby and Home Goods. Ours is a home of DIYs galore and budget shopping at its best. So don’t be intimidated by the cost of Christmas decor because you absolutely can do it on a budget!
Add Collections
Since our daughter, Maggie, got engaged this past June, we’ve started collecting brass candlesticks at thrift stores and antique malls. We are collecting them for her wedding in June. Vintage adds a touch of character and whimsy to any home.
I suggest experimenting with grouping items together like books, candlesticks, Christmas trees, etc. I’ve seen a lot of home decor accounts doing this with little furry Christmas trees in varying colors. I’ve grouped our brass candlesticks on our dining room table this year and I love it.
Create Vignettes
There are items scattered around our home to add Christmas and cozy all at one time. I love to create vignettes (little groupings) of decor to make spaces cozy. I will share a few here. Take a look at your decor and see what you can group together to have a greater impact.
Christmas Vignettes Gallery
My favorite is the tray with two manger scenes, thrifted books, and a wooden Christmas tree. I love grouping my nativity scenes together so that they stand out.
Create Focus Areas
This wainscoting wall with the vintage bench placed in front of it is the perfect spot to show off Christmas as you walk in our front door. I love how it welcomes our friends and family into our home. Try to find a welcoming spot in your home where your family and friends feel the warmth of Christmas as they enter.
Repurpose
I’ve taken some of my older Christmas decorations and repurposed them with new life with paint or adding a different ribbon, etc. Resist throwing away older decor until you have reimagined what it could be. Get creative. Think of new ways to reinvent it and make it relevant again. It is recycling at its best!
Don’t Forget the Outside
We have decorated the outside of our home as well and added gold bows on our wreaths rather than the red ones we have had for years. Again, Hobby Lobby comes to the rescue.
Time to Celebrate
So to bring it all together and wrap this up. Get it…wrap it up…Christmas…wrapping paper…lol. This list below is what we use to make our home cozy and inviting and festive. Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.
There is a true purpose to decorating our homes for Christmas and I love that! Creating a cozy home that makes your family and friends feel welcome is a way to share the love of Christ at Christmas.
Have you ever considered when decorating your home that Christmas is a celebration? We are celebrating the greatest gift ever given-Jesus. I watched a super cute Hallmark movie this week called A Big Fat Christmas Family Christmas.
It is all about a family that goes crazy on Christmas. This is how we should be celebrating!! If you like Hallmark movies I recommend this one! Make your home a place of celebration as we focus on the true reason for the season. So DECORATE TO CELEBRATE!
Touch the Senses
To summarize, in this post about 8 components of a cozy Christmas home, I want to take a brief moment to touch on our children’s senses. By adding these components in our home we are touching the senses of our children.
Touching their senses embeds memories into their minds that are triggered for the rest of their lives. In other words, they will forever be reminded of family and home! Read my post How to Awaken Your Child’s Senses at Home to learn more.
Let’s review.
Components of Cozy Christmas Home
- Love, Jesus & family time
- Candles and scents
- Christmas music
- Twinkle lights
- Natural elements (evergreen garland and wreaths, pine cones, orange slices)
- Vintage (brass candlesticks, books, brass instruments, bells, and wood trays)
- Pillows
- Cozy blankets
In conclusion, if you have already decorated your home but you want to change something up or reinvent an old decoration, or add to it then just do it! There is still plenty of time and now it will be ready for next year too!
As a final reminder, let’s make our homes a place where your family loves to be, now, and for years to come. Create special memories, traditions (look for a post coming on traditions soon), cozy spaces, and, most of all, an atmosphere of love.
Merry Christmas.
Much Love ~ Kim 🎄
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