Hey there beautiful people! Today I want to share with you a few of the ways I like to settle in for our long cold winters. Most of you know I live in Northern Alberta Canada and it can definitely get pretty chilly here. Minus 10C to minus 40C (14F to -40F) is not uncommon at all between October and March. So it’s really important to me to do what I can to make these long months a little more bearable. Here are a few of my favorite things for a long cozy winter.
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Winter Decor:
My winter decor is up and feeling very cozy and lovely. I don’t really decorate for Christmas (with the exception of a real tree that goes up in Dec), instead I decorate for winter and keep it up until March or so. The neutral simplicity of it set a tone of peacefulness that I hope invites all those who enter to relax and rest. I love how my three tiered stand (it’s from Canadian Tire) turned out this year. The JOY sign stays constant throughout the seasons but I switch out everything else depending on the time of year.
Here’s a peek at some of my other winter decor. I have battery-operated timer candles (affiliate link) all over the house. They are the BEST. They all come on at the same time which just makes me all kinds of happy and then turn off 6 hours later. It really sets the cozy mood in the evenings without me having to do a lot of work. What’s better than that!
Nothing says cozy like tiny twinkle lights. These are on a timer too from the dollar store of all places!
Cozy Clothing:
Speaking of cozy, my new favorite piece of clothing this season has got to be my new pink Sherpa coat from Costco. Oh my is it every delightful. That’s the word I like to use when something so simple brings me so much joy. I love it so much!
Hot Tea:
Okay next on my list of winter favorites is tea of course! I’m a bit of a tea junkie and I think tea lovers don’t get near the special treatment that coffee lovers do. Many coffee places that bring in all the fun holiday coffee drinks year after year neglect the tea drinkers that might also like to get in the holiday spirit. Why no holiday tea I ask? So sad. It’s definitely a problem, here in Canada anyway. Hello Tim Hortons and Starbucks, I’m talking to you! Luckily Second Cup has not neglected me and they brought in their delicious Holiday Blend Tea again this year. I shared about it last year but I just had to tell you about it again in case you too were feeling a little neglected in the tea department.
And if you want to get one from the grocery store, I highly recommend the new Holiday Chai from Stash. It’s very good.
Every year I create a hot chocolate/tea bar in my kitchen for the winter season. My daughter told me she wouldn’t come home from college if I didn’t do it, ha! So since I only have so much counter space, this year I decided to go vertical and make it two tier. I simply turned one of my wood bins on its side and I had the perfect shelf. This way I have plenty of room for both my tea and the hot chocolate and all the fixings that go along with it. Behind the marshmallows are another two jars with chocolate add-ins.
Here’s what it has looked like in previous years. A nice festive touch for sure. It makes it nice and easy for guests to find what they need all in one place. Do you make a hot chocolate/tea bar during the holiday season?
As I also mentioned in a previous post, I love my new milk frother (affiliate link) to add an extra special touch to my tea. Look at how beautifully it froths almond milk. Yum!
Happy Light:
In the winter, the days are shorter and we get way less sunshine. To combat that I use a Happy Light (affiliate link) every morning when I do my devotions. It makes a world of difference to help ward of feelings of sadness that is so common during this time of year. Here’s my morning view.
Some other favorites for a long cozy winter include my electric blanket on my bed and my Sherpa throws in my living room. Can you tell I like to be warm?
What are your favorite things to help you create a cozy winter? Do you do anything special to make your home a nice relaxing cozy place to hang out during the long cold months of winter? Share in the comments with me 🙂
Barbara says
Lovely list and great ideas!
Thank you!
Laura Wittmann says
Thank you Barbara 🙂
amor isaac says
liked it very much
Dianne says
What a lovely article! I felt cozier just reading it. I second the motion of the happy light.
Laura Wittmann says
What a nice thing to say, thank you Dianne 🙂
Lynn Russell says
I love your ideas and plan on incorporating some of them into my home. However, I have to tell you that Murchie’s Tea and Coffee in Victoria, BC has not only a great collection of holiday tea but also winter tea blends as well. I order them every year! (murchies.com) 😀
Laura Wittmann says
Lynn! Thank you so much for letting me know, I’m definitely going to check them out especially since they are Canadian. Yay!!
Hilda Rodgers says
Great list! I’m not a fan of winter either, but some cozy things make it a little better. And I’m a tea gal too… it’s so sad there aren’t as many festive teas as there are coffees and hot chocolates. I’ll have to check out Second Cup and try theirs!
Laura Wittmann says
Hi Hilda! It actually has strawberry in it but it doesn’t taste fruity to me (I’m not a huge fan of fruity tea). I hope you like it too!
Burnetta Bennett says
I live up next to the lake in NewYork so it might not get as cold but boy we have been known to pile on the snow. I have an upstairs sewing room with a little balcony that looks out at a giant oak tree. When the snow is drifting high I like to make quilts and other things. I prefer my coffee and have a special tin cup that I set on a little cup hot plate to keep it nice and warm. I light a scented candle also.
Laura Wittmann says
Oh that sounds so nice & cozy Burnetta especially being able to watch your oak tree change with the seasons.
Dion Card says
I live in Northern Minnesota, so I understand the need for finding the sweet spot in being cozy for six months out of the year. I love ideas! We have a coffee/tea/hot cocoa bar and I have struggled with finding the best way to organize the tea and hot cocoa, thanks for the idea! Do you mind asking where I can find a tea organizer like the one you have? I like the metal look. 🙂
Laura Wittmann says
Hi Dion! My tea organizer is from HomeSense here in Canada. If you are in the US I think that would be similar to your HomeGoods. But it’s one of those things I just happen to find by accident. I actually used it to organize in my nightstand for years and then moved it to tea when I needed a divided container. Love how that works 🙂
Becky L says
I bought a fleece blanket last year for my recliner and lately I’ve used in on my bed since it’s been cold outdoors. Red, black and white…snowflakes on it…so cozy! I am enjoying my purple fleece coat I bought from Columbia Sportswear at outlet mall, a sale and money for my birthday and veteran’s discount made it a good deal. I’m a tea drinker as well! I’ve recently bought Numi Roobis chai tea and regular Roobis tea…so good to, especially when I’m not feeling well. I like all your ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Laura Wittmann says
Those all sound wonderful Becky. Your blanket sounds so pretty!
MelanieL says
I love your list of cozy delights! I always enjoy seeing how you decorate your three tiered stand and coffee/tea station each year so thank you for sharing! 🙂
Michelle Hansen says
I love to hear that you like your happy light. I think my husband needs one for this time of year!
Laura Wittmann says
Highly recommend Michelle!