Best Tips on How to Transition From Christmas To Winter Decor

Do you want to know how to decorate for Winter? See how I take down Christmas and transition to Winter decor in our home.

Happy New Year friend!

It’s the first Notes For My Daughter’s blog post of 2022!

And?

I am coming to your inbox on a…

Tuesday!

Are you confused? Did I have you excited and thinking it was already Friday and time for the weekend?

If you caught my round up of “Reader’s Favorite” blog posts of 2021 last week, (you can see the post here) then you already know that I am doubling down on my blog posting in the New Year!

What does that mean?

Essentially you can expect to hear from me at least twice a week with shorter but more frequent blog posts.

Don’t worry!

We are still going steady and will still meet here for our usual Friday mid-day blog posts but I also plan to pop in and say hi to you on Tuesday’s and maybe even surprise you with more along the way!

One thing at a time right?

I am a big fan of figuring things out along the way…my brain breathes better when I go one step at a time.

One thing I do know is that I want to continue to deliver helpful home decor inspiration and encouragement for your heart.

And sometimes?

Well sometimes…I can get wordy.

So?

Look forward to more to the point posts that you can read the title of and decide then and there if you need that inspiration or encouragement at that time.

If you aren’t needing the home decor advice that day…no hard feelings…just wait for the next post and we can catch up then!

So…what’s on the blog menu today?

Today, I want to help you move from taking down the Christmas decor to decluttering while still keeping the cozy vibes alive.

Why?

Well for one, I live in Maryland and we have a lot more Winter to get through before we welcome the blue birds and blooms.

In fact, we had our first snow dusting yesterday.

You know I love a pink sky…I had to pop out the front door to snap this while the girls were playing.

But the day before yesterday?

It was 60 degrees.

Maryland is crazy like that…you never know what weather we might have during the Winter.

However, I am not complaining about that 60 degree day!!

In fact, we were SO thankful for the mild day on Sunday, because Shawn and I surprised our daughters and parents with tickets to see a Ravens game for Christmas.

It was such a fun, memory-making day with our family!

While Santa had filled the stockings with toe and hand warmers… it turned out we didn’t need them!

Regardless of the temperature outside though?

Sometimes, when we take down Christmas, it can leave you feeling a little sad and things can look a little stark and lonely.

Let’s fix that!

Today, I am sharing with you my best advice and Top 9 Tips for cleaning up Christmas and transitioning into cozy Winter decor to keep you feeling snuggled and satisfied all Winter long.

Best Tips on How to Transition From Christmas To Winter Decor

#1 Tip:

Move everything away from the walls and off the shelves to give the rooms a deep clean.

I know.

It’s not a glamorous or even fun tip.

But?

It is 100% totally and completely necessary to get a room revived and ready for the next season.

Trust me, your room will thank you for it.

So yesterday, while the kiddos romped in the snow and enjoyed a bonus day off from school?

I moved furniture like a crazy lady and cleaned the Christmas out of this house.

Sniff sniff…a sad sight – I know.

We put up two Christmas trees, a live tree and an artificial tree.

While the live tree is messy to take down after the season is over…it is so worth the total experience for us.

Once I have the real tree out, I unlatch our sectional sofa and slide each section into the hallway and adjacent room so that I can deep clean the entire room and start with a literal clean slate.

Once I have the entire sofa removed from the room, I vacuum the rug and sometimes I rotate the rug 90 degrees so that it can wear evenly.

Rotating the rug is a game changer in refreshing any room.

#2 Tip:

Wash the sofa cushion linens, blankets, throw pillow covers.

Again, not a fancy and fun tip…but a tip that always leaves the room feeling re-energized, smelling clean and firms up the sofa seats.

Washing all those blankets you want to keep snuggling with for the rest of season is like treating yourself to a present to enjoy later – almost like clean sheets on your bed.

If you can’t remove the pillow covers from your sofa. Simply remove all the pillows and fluff them one by one and use this spot removing cleaner that is life-changing. It removes red wine, all the things, Simply spray the spot and then lightly scratch the stain with your finger nail and blot dry with a clean paper towel.

Works like a charm.

Once the rug has been vacuumed, rotated and the sofa cushions have been cleaned and spot treated, I start bringing the essential furniture pieces back into the room.

Tip #3:

Keep a few small – medium sized trees with lights out for Winter decor

When it comes to putting away Christmas decor and deciding what to keep out for Winter decor I follow this general rule of thumb:

I put away any tree decor that is gold, has glitter or sparkles.

I select only a few of my favorite small to medium sized trees that are only green and often tend to be decorated with fake snow.

I prefer to keep a more natural tone for Winter.

Hot Tip:

Also on the list of decor items that I put away to transition from Christmas to Winter decor are:

Loose ornaments laying in bowls or trays

Garland

Christmas wall signs

Holiday Pillow Covers

Santa figurines

Sprigs of greenery laying on shelves

This is not a strict list, however it is my own personal general rule of thumb that I have found over the years, reduces the clutter and still allows for elements of Winter to help create a cozy home without feeling crowded.

Want another hot tip?

I launder all of our girls Christmas attire, items such as Christmas pj’s, Santa tee-shirts and my own Fa La La sweatshirt and Santa socks. Then, I put all of the Christmas clothing (and costumes) in a clear tote and store our Christmas clothing, books and girl’s stuffies in a storage container packed away with all the decor. This way I am not moving Santa socks out of the way, in my drawer in the middle of June while searching for my white no-show socks.

In other words?

All of the Christmas gets put away so that it doesn’t clutter up the rest of the year…even in our drawers and closets.

Tip #4:

Use plants, real or fake to help replace the loss of texture and greenery from the Christmas trees.

Above, I have added a real plant to the entry way and kept a simple green wreath with pinecones hanging on the wall on top of the wall decor for a layering touch.

Below, the pot of real succulents on the end table offers both a touch of texture and greenery to the space where our real Christmas tree was.

Tip #5:

Light it up with candles, real and battery operated.

Nothing says come in and get cozy like the flicker of a candle’s wick or soft glow of a few battery operated candles like the ones I have on the coffee table, pictured above in our family room.

In the pictures above, I have also added the texture of a soft ribbon around each gold candle stick for extra whimsy and softness.

I used this ribbon to decorate Christmas packages, tie on wreaths and also tied a piece around the neck of the large clear vase on the coffee table.

Tip #6:

Keep it Simple –

Reduce the amount of items on table tops and flat surface areas.

One thing I find myself craving when a New Year begins is simplicty.

I desire an ease in both entering back into routine and also an ease in our living space.

With a blank slate style crave, I am very selective about what every day decor items I place back into our space and aim to keep a very minimalistic style scheme for the start to the new year.

This is the time of year when less truly is more.

Tip #7:

Clear off the kitchen counters.

From the entry way and all the way into the kitchen counters…I prefer minimal eye clutter.

In the kitchen, I find a cleared off kitchen island, displaying only what is necessary at the sink to be very refreshing.

Along the back counter top, I have relocated and pared down our hot cocoa station from Christmas, as the girls continue to enjoy making themselves a hot treat after playing in the snow or at night before we snuggle in for a little down time.

However, I am starting to think what they really love is grabbing a handful of mini marshmallows as a snack more than the actual cup of hot cocoa. 🙂 I can’t really blame them. Mini marshmallows are yummy.

Tip #8:

Decorate with Winter art scenes.

We are fortunate to have a friend who is a watercolor artist.

Last year, I requested him to paint a Winter scene for our floating shelves. I love how his art work is the perfect Winter decor for our open shelves in the kitchen.

Side note – did you know that these floating shelves and the DIY tutorial on how to make them yourself was my first blog post last year?

They are so easy and affordable to make, you can see the DIY open shelf post here and tips on how to style shelves in this post here.

Tip #9:

Create an oh so cozy and comfy Winter bed.

Now, because we love all things cozy and soft, especially during Winter…do you want to know the cherry on top to finishing off a cozy Winter home is?

The cherry on top is crawling into a super cozy bed after a long day.

Shawn and I bought ourselves this faux fur comforter set a few years ago from Target and we both LOVE it. Actually, we all love it. When I first swapped out our comforter for this white faux fur one earlier this season, all of the girls immediately jumped on our bed as squealed.

It’s safe to say, we all really enjoy all things cozy and soft here at Krout-land.

Here is a similar faux fur comforter and another option here.

Also, these faux fur lumbar pillows are fun to dress up your cozy Winter bedroom.

Now, for as long as I can remember, each of our girls have inquired why our bed is so comfy and cozy, aside from the super soft comforter on top…they couldn’t understand why our bed felt so good to crawl into and underneath the comforter.

I finally caved and told them that it is most likely because we have a fabulous memory foam mattress gel pad underneath the sheets and it feels like you are sleeping on a cloud.

Insert great gift idea here.

This mattress pad would be a great gift for Valentine’s Day!

My Mom gifted all three of our girls this 2″ aloe and gel memory foam mattress pad for each of their beds.

And now?

We all sleep on clouds every night and the girls are in heaven dream land.

What’s a cozy mattress pad without amazing sheets though right?

The girls also received a new set of these sheets for Christmas.

They are so soft and buttery and come in a zillion colors. I personally love the blue polka dot sheets we gave to Livvy.

Prepare to fall in love with your new, cozy Winter bedroom friend.

There you have it friend!

The first blog post of 2022 and my best advice on how to declutter from Christmas and embrace a simplified Winter decor that will warm your spirit all season until Spring!

I hope you enjoyed my first Tuesday post!

See You Friday!

Dear God,

Thank you for fresh starts and new seasons.

Please guide us in our ways as we step into the new year ahead.

Amen.

Living on a prayer,

Heather

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