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Every year, my affinity for the winter season grows just a little more. The invitation to slow down, get cozy, and spend more time at home feels more alluring than ever. These small joys at home became more than routines. They created the rhythm of our days.
I’ve always been a homebody, but when COVID hit and suddenly we all found ourselves at home more than expected, I found myself wanting to create some structure to prevent our days from blurring together.
What started as a way to simply mark one day from the next became something more. These rituals and small joys we had created made our home feel grounding, comforting, and alive.
Today, I’m sharing the rituals and everyday small joys that have quietly shaped our home and made it feel like ours.
Rituals That Anchor the Day
Opening and CLosing Our Curtains
Shortly after COVID hit in 2020, I lost my job and Mike began working from home full time. It didn’t take long to feel like we were living in one never ending groundhog day. I started creating little rituals to help us ease into and close out each day thoughtfully. Rituals that I still practice to this day. One of those rituals is opening and closing the curtains in our living room and dining room each day.
Each morning, as the sun is coming up and the dogs are dragging us out of bed way too early, I walk from the kitchen into our dining room and through to the living room. Drawing back the curtains as I go. Letting the sunlight filter in to wake up and warm up our home. With coffee brewing and breakfast underway for all of us, this simple act has really helped us ease into our day.
In the evenings, when dusk is starting to fall, I’ve started pulling the curtains half way. Not yet ready to shut the day out completely, I’ve found just this simple act has really helped signal when work is done for the day and it’s time to relax and hangout as a family,
And when nightfall eventually comes, closing the curtains all the way feels like tucking our home in for the night. It’s an act that feels comforting and relaxing and helps mentally prepare us for bed.
If your days feel repetitive or rushed, consider choosing one simple ritual that signals the beginning and end of your day.
Bookending the Day with a Warm Drink
Another ritual that adds quiet joy to my day is a warm drink in the morning and another in the evening. I’m a big tea drinker and a warm mug of English Breakfast tea with cream is my go to in the morning. In the evening I reach for chamomile or sleepy time tea to help wind down the day..
There’s something so comforting about wrapping your hands around a warm mug. This small little joy has become an anchor in my day. Allowing time for me to pause, take a breath, and have a gentle reset.
These rituals take only minutes to do and become part of your daily rhythm. Quietly adding to the feeling of your home.
Creating a Cozy Atmosphere at Home
Throughout the year, but especially during the winter, I put an extra focus on amping up the cozy factor in our home. To me, this looks like layered, low lighting, seating you want to curl up in, and blankets within reach to chase away any chills.
Layered Lighting
An easy way to add an extra layer of low light is with the use of cordless, rechargeable lamps. I’ve shared this lamp here before on the blog and on Instagram. I love it so much I’ve purchased 4 in total and use them throughout our home.
I tuck them into our bookcase in the family room to add a warm glow and a little bit of light in the evenings. On our dining room table when I’m working late and don’t want the harsh overhead light. And in the summer on our patio when the sun goes down but we’re not quite ready to go in yet.
Another unexpected small joy that has added to the atmosphere of our home are these dusk to dawn window candles. I purchased them for Christmas this past year and have left them up ever since. It gives Little Women vibes and always makes me smile when I see them come on as the sun starts to go down.
There’s something so calming and peaceful walking through our home at night and seeing their subtle flicker and soft glow.
Seating You Want to Curl Up In
My goal with our spaces is always to find a balance between comfort and style and character and practicality.
Deep sofas that support our family when we want to curl up and watch a movie or wrestle with the dogs. Chairs that invite guests to sit and stay awhile and put up their feet and get cozy.
Comfort isn’t an afterthought here. It’s a huge part of the design.
When seating truly supports how you live, a room feels less staged and more lived in. Designing around real life creates a quiet sense of ease. Your home becomes an extension of you, supporting how you truly live.
Throws and Oversized Blankets for Maximum Relaxation
No matter the season I’m never without a throw blanket, but especially in the winter. Our ottoman holds a stack of them so they are always within reach.
I added this tan faux fur oversized throw to the rotation this past year and it’s a family favorite. It’s so soft and has a little weight to it making it the ultimate comfort item.
Visual Reset Moments: Clearing and Restyling Your Space
Sometimes it’s not about adding to a space but rather clearing and editing that brings joy. I shared more about this mindset in my recent post on winter editing at home, where I talk about starting small and letting your home evolve with intention.
In every home there are drop zones working overtime. For us it’s the dining room table, the kitchen counter, and side chairs that quietly collect more than they should.
Taking a few mins at the end of the day, or the end of the week, to clear those surfaces of the visual noise can be just as powerful as rearranging furniture or buying something new.
A reset doesn’t have to be dramatic to shift the energy of a room. Once a space is cleared, there’s often room to see it differently. Sometimes that simply means putting fewer things back. Other times, it’s restyling. Moving a lamp, rearranging a bookshelf, swapping in something seasonal, or shifting a piece from one room to another.
Thoughtful changes, even small ones, can breathe new life into a space without requiring anything new at all.
Fresh Flowers (Even in Winter)
Fresh flowers are one of the simplest ways I bring life into our home, especially during the winter months when everything outside feels dormant.
A small bouquet on the kitchen counter. A few stems tucked into a vase on the dining room table. Even something clipped from the yard and brought inside.
There’s something about having something living in the room that shifts the energy. It softens the space and adds a quiet layer of beauty to everyday routines.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Just something that brings a bit of life indoors. Often, it’s these small joys at home that quietly shape how a space feels day to day.
Add one living element to a room this week. Flowers, greenery, or a simple branch, and notice how it changes the feeling of the space.
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