Happy New Year! I took Christmas down yesterday. It’s my yearly tradition. The whole holiday season after Christmas stays decorated and cozy, and then on January 1st we get a clean, fresh start.
I’ve developed a whole system for this over the last few years that has made the process not only efficient, but actually enjoyable (more on that later), so I’ve come to genuinely love this day. It helps that it’s much faster than putting Christmas up.
While I was in the middle of the holiday take-down, I found a letter my daughter wrote me last Christmas while she was serving a mission in Quebec, Canada. Here’s what she wrote:
Dear Mom,
Merry Christmas! I hope that it has been a very fun and festive one for you this year. I just love Christmastime at our house, ever since I was little you have always made it so magical. It’s been sad to be away from it all but it has made me even more grateful for you and the rest of the family. I’m so thankful that you’re my mom (and my best friend). You don’t even know the influence you’ve had on me, I would be a completely different person without you. Thank you for everything. I am so excited for all the adventures we will go on!
Love you always,
Hannah
P.S. Practice your French! (That way we can go on Parisian adventures!)
I smiled the entire time I read it in that quiet, full of happiness kind of way. Because it’s true: Christmas in our house is extra magical. But what made me happiest reading her words wasn’t the mention of decorations or traditions. It was the feeling of home she was describing.
My kids talk about that often. They love being here. They say it without prompting. Our house is very cozy. It feels good to be in our home. That’s something I never take lightly.
Which is why I found it interesting that at the same time, I’ve started getting messages on Instagram asking this question:
“My house feels so cozy at Christmas, but once it’s gone it feels empty. Any tips?”
I understand the feeling. Christmas décor does a lot of visual heavy lifting. It fills corners, softens edges, adds warmth and sparkle. When it all comes down at once, the contrast can feel stark.
But I don’t think coziness is seasonal. I think Christmas just turns the volume up on things that already make a house feel good.
What keeps a home cozy the rest of the year is quieter and more subtle. For us, that looks like warm lamps instead of overhead lights, especially in the late afternoon. Textiles everywhere — quilts, throws, rugs — that actually get used. Mixing patterns without overthinking it. Plaid with floral. Stripes with checks. Natural textures that don’t feel precious: wood, linen, wool, baskets, old books. Bringing in color to warm up the spaces, earthy greens, reds and blues.
And then there’s the part that matters most to me: giving every room one thing that’s personal. A photo, a thrifted piece, a hand-me-down, a stack of letters tucked into a drawer. Something that tells our story, not a catalog’s.
The magic in our home isn’t really about the Christmas décor — it’s just part of what makes our home feel like ours. And that feeling doesn’t get packed away with the ornaments.
When I take Christmas down, I don’t strip the house bare. I keep the layers. The lamps stay on. The quilts stay out. Seasonal things get swapped for everyday pieces that still feel warm. The goal isn’t to erase the magic — it’s to let it settle in.
Since I get asked about it often, I’ll share a few things I do that have made the actual packing-away process feel calm instead of chaotic.
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