Is anyone planning on "wintering"?

[user746016]

I'm taking down some of the decorations but have decided to keep up some fairly lights and candles and some of the decorations that are more wintery than overtly christmassy. It always feels so bare when everything comes down and it makes the house look cheerful in the cold dark months.

I have also planted some indoor bulbs which are doing well so will hopefully provide some glimpses of spring.

Lots of fires, cosy blankets and books to see us through.

Any other nice ideas to keep the winter feeling cheerful rather than bleak?

I am all for this!
We kept up the tiny twinkly lights after Christmas that are all round the top of the living room picture rail... About 5 years ago. We just couldn't be bothered to take them down and really liked the effect so kept them.
We also have candles every evening (for scent and ambience) but love the idea of spring bulbs!

I’ve taken down all the Christmas decs (boo) but kept candles, fairy lights and throws out. Love it x

I’ve have a string of acorn battery lights which are on a table in the hall, they’ve been switched on since early autumn.
I’ve got some lights on a shelf in the kitchen which will be staying put until spring, they don’t look particularly Christmas like.Always have two battery candles lit in the living room

Would love to get more ideas on this because I'm struggling with how to do it without it just still looking Christmassy.

We have had a lot of our decor up since the autumn as we had pine cones and skeleton leaves and such, and then switched the leaves out for baubles and ribbons.

Throws are out all the time anyway and our red candles look too Christmassy.

I have fairy lights around all year. Lots of furry throws and heated blankets, battery operated candles and my oil diffuser with wintery scented oils. Seasonal wax melts etc.

I'm hoping that is just because we associate those things with Christmas but if I turn it into an all winter long thing and gradually transition to spring then it will start to feel wintery rather than Christmassy.

I'm wondering about an evergreen wreath on the door still but with no traditionally christmassy bits in it. Or perhaps one that is just willow and tiny fairy lights.

Me, have kept out my little light up houses as winter ones and my little real Christmas tree in a pot, no decs just for greenery.

Also have put fairy light in my fireplace to make it look warm and inviting whilst waiting for my new log burner.

Also got some bulbs in pots from M&S yesterday.

Good for you OP

This Year I have kept out various string battery charged lights around a unit or 4 ;) and a little Red post box and Red London telephone booth with "snow on top" and a little glittery tree decoration that spells LOVE . I have put that with a frame I have and photos of lost loved ones.

Well I'll join you but with a full complement of Xmas decs still

I'm very into winter cozying up , so lots of fairy lights , candles , throws , good books , podcasts , jigsaws , Lego . I hate the cold weather and dark nights so keep myself comfortable and relaxed . I also plan my plants / garden as a nod to warmer spring days ahead

Yes! I have some twinkle lights in the kitchen and more in the living room, they make me happy!

I've also kept my Disney lightup carousal out as well, i cant bare to out it away!

I celebrate Imbolc (1st Feb), if you search ‘decorating for Imbolc’ on google images then lots of lovely things come up that celebrate both winter the tiny signs of spring that will soon be here.

You don’t have to go all on with the alters and witchy stuff - just thought there might be some good inspiration with the snowdrops, twig wreaths, candles and so on

Yip defo keeping fairy lights up and after this weekend other than my sons training and games for his hobby I'm going in to full on hibernation mode for January and will be candles lit in the evening, fluffy blankets and lots of reading and not much else.

Everything overtly Christmassy will come down tomorrow or Monday, especially the tree and garden lights, but we will still have real and battery candles, some fairy lights, throws and furry rugs, greenery and bulbs, and real fires. Will bring out spring decorations in March.

Just going through the christmas decorations. So far I'm keeping out some silver and gold stars, some light up hessian stars, the fairy lights and probably even the gold stars hanging over the dining room table.

Debating whether the garland on top of the mantlepiece will just look way too christmassy. It's just evergreen and pine cones with fairy lights.

Me.
trees going tomorrow and the Xmas trimmings but all the candles and fairy lights staying till the days brighten

Also keeping out some little wooden hearts hanging over the cooker, the light up china village and the felt snowflakes hanging from the kitchen cupboard knobs.

I left the fairy lights over my wooden headboard last year and we've decided to leave the fairy lights around the banisters until the evenings get lighter.

The main tree is still in the living room and I need to wait for DP to have a day off before that can be dealt with (I can't manage it alone as it was a big one. He is also much better at taking off the 5 sets of lights so they aren't all tangled next Christmas)

I don't think he is off work until Wednesday though!!

In the church calendar it is actually "Christmastide" officially until Candlemas ( 2nd February) and it used to be the tradition to keep all Christmas decorations up until then.
This is my fireplace ( fake greenery) and I I intend to keep it like this till Candlemas

Maybe start winter decorating to include green foliage , green wreaths on the door , autumnal flowers , fairy lights , candles but for Christmas add red / gold to highlight the season adding lots more colour , tea lights , traditional decorations , usual tree .

I think you could easily decorate for winter and the change it up for Christmas

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/leaving-up-christmas-decorations/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20why%20not%20do,practice%20in%20the%20medieval%20period.

I have a string of the extra long fairy lights from The White Company that frame my patio doors in lounge - they are lightly twisted over curtain pole and a length runs down each wall to floors- they r been up about 12 years and I use them all the time as they really light the space subtly whereas the wall lights even on dim setting are a bit much,

I have lots of different candles, battery lights in small silvery mini pots and a couple of throws to snuggle under. I like to sit in the evenings trouncing DH at Rummikub, doing a puzzle we've put out on coffee table or doing sone colouring . Only things I'm watching on tv are Traitors and Call the Midwife.

I've hyacinths and amaryllis on windowsills

These candles... the picture on the website does them no favours, but they are lovely. The whole candle glows a beautiful warm light

https://www.grahamandgreen.co.uk/ochre-pillar-candles

Definitely!

Twinkly lights, whether they are fairy lights or candles.

Lots of fluffy blankets.

I switch to wintery rather than Christmassy scented candles and fragrance oils, woody, smoky, spicy or herbal but no pine eg By the Fireside, Diptyque Noisette or Muji Hinoki. I’ll swap to floral, fresh scents when the spring bulbs come up.

I’m swapping to ice blue candles and white flowers but I am keeping my Christmas fillers (pine cones, silver sprayed foliage and twigs).

I prefer to wait until spring for all the lovely brightly coloured indoor bulbs but I have paperwhites, white amaryllis and white hyacinths now.

I think red is also a good colour for January if you want to recycle Christmas candles or napkins etc, not just Christmas, if you take inspiration from ski chalet style and for Valentines Day in February 😂 There will be fondue, raclette and hot chocolate in my house in January 😂 I’m hibernating! Spring is the time for lovely fresh salads and upping the exercise regime, not midwinter!

If you really want to go over the top, changing some cushion covers is a cheap way to decorate for the season 😂

I've got some evergreen stuff, pine cones and candles and whatnot, and although I'm taking Christmas decorations down this weekend, I shall probably leave those in situ.