As I write this blog, it’s dark, raw and rainy outside, typical of this time of year. Inside the house, I try to ignore the gloom surrounding me, focusing instead on what’s good about the season; and there is so much good to think on, when I take the time to look a little deeper.
Over the weekend, I put up some solar twinkle lights on my garden trellis. This was such an easy task and yet it cheered me with the prospect of gazing out my kitchen window at night and seeing this simple structure light up the darkness. I was giving my garden a special adornment, a sparkling cloak in honor of the floral beauty it brought me this past season. Adding this glimmer of light to the outside was also a nod to the coming of winter, to moving inside and basking in the warm comforts of home.
Leaving work on a particularly miserable day, a friend once said to me, “I just want to go home and get cozy.” Cozy sure sounded good to me, too! But, what exactly is cozy? Is it a state of mind, of comfort, of warmth? Is it that glimmer of light in the darkness? It’s all of these things and yet different for each one of us; cozy is personal.
Coming inside, living indoors, is the natural consequence of cold, long winters; but how we choose to live in our homes during these dark months is what makes it bearable and, dare I say it, pleasurable.
Cozy is my constant survival mode for winter. Keeping the house comfortably warm, adding blankets, pillows and throws to sitting areas and lighting a wood fire all contribute to the perfect ambiance. Flannel sheets, shirts, and nightgowns embrace me with softness. Steaming mugs of tea, coffee and cocoa become my preferred beverages. Even everyday cooking creates comforting warmth with its tantalizing aromas of freshly baked bread and slow-cooked soups and stews.
Preparing our homes for the holidays only ramps up the coziness factor. We can create scenes of indoor beauty with just white candles and fragrant greenery or add more magic with the sparkle of tree lights, presents, and ornaments. From simple to ornate, it’s all pleasing to our senses and only adds to the pleasure of being home. The key to living well all winter is to keep this warm and comforting aura going long after the Christmas tree has been taken down.
By enhancing our pleasure in being indoors, home becomes the place where we most want to be – a place that’s inviting, beautiful, warm, and cozy.