I recently took down my Christmas decorations and it made me so sad. My house never feels cozier than it does with the twinkling lights of all four of my Christmas trees. Yes I said four, both my kids have four foot trees in their room, I have a five foot tree in mine, and our living room has an almost 8 foot tree in the corner. My mantle has greenery and lights, I have lighted up villages, and the twinkle lights make me so very happy. Taking it all down made me so very sad. I loved the feel of the dimmer lights, the cozy times on the couch watching TV. Then, I remembered a book I read right before the holiday, The Little Book of Hygge: the Danish Secrets to Happy Living. I also remembered I had pinned a ton of ideas about this concept on Pinterest.

reading corner cozy hygge childrens rooms decoratingI looked around my house last week and thought, how can I use some of the concepts of Hygge in my home to make it as cozy as it is at Christmas? The parts of the Hygee concept I really like are cozy nooks, warm blankets and socks, candles or soft lighting, and time to enjoy your family and friends. Seriously, go to Pinterest and search. You will go down a rabbit hole for a few hours. It is so fun!

I started with my kids’ rooms. We packed away all the decorations, then sorted and cleaned out items they no longer play with. This freed up some space to breathe. In my daughter’s room, I moved a chair we found for free on a buy, sell, trade page and covered it with her favorite blankets, put a desk lamp nearby, and set out her library books. She loves curling up and being cozy, reading in her room. My son is younger and loves to play with his toy animals (he wants to be a vet). After we cleaned up his room, we made him a cozy play place with all his favorite things nearby. I plan to add more soft lighting in their rooms soon. I have a friend bringing me some leftover holiday lights they were throwing away. I mean come on who does not want to play by twinkle lights all year! They both also have salt lamps for fun and soft lighting.

In my living room, I left open the corner we had cleared for the tree for a few days to think and look around the house and garage. The concept of Hygge encourages you to use what you have in new and different ways before buying new. So, I took the folding big saucer chair I had found again on a buy, sell, trade page for free and moved it in the corner. I threw a soft blanket to the back. It is now a great place to sit and read or watch TV. I plan to move a small table near it for easier access to a warm cup of tea and books. My bedroom is a work in progress. I am on the hunt for a comfy chair, but added a new salt lamp already. I also want to add some twinkle lights around my dining room windows and a few other places just for fun and added warmth on these long dark winter nights. To step it up another notch, I’ve been looking at buying a beautiful wall mural to go in my cozy corner.

Small steps that were easy for me to do with items I already had on hand or found cheap or free on Facebook. I already love the little changes. My family seems content to curl up in their new little cozy spaces. I seem to slow down and actually sit and relax with them. We have even started lighting candles and eating by candle light for a nice slow dinner. Winter does not have to be dreary and dark. Find your inner coziness and make your house to match. Danish believe you need to celebrate the moments of happiness and your house should feel like home. I agree! I want to end the day with those I love in warm fuzzy socks and big warm blankets.