I can never take down ALL the Christmas decorations on December 31, can you? Instead, I like to “tweak” some of them for the winter. Here are some of this year’s gentle changes:
(1) Keep the giant winter wreath and snowflake garland, but trade the nativity on the mantel for family photos.
(2) Keep the Christmas cards nearby to enjoy again and again, but add a free New Year’s printable in a frame.
(3) Put a fun snowman on top of the kitchen cabinet by the antique milk bottles.
(4) Change out Santa for a snowman in the fabric forest and add a “Baby It’s Cold Outside” free printable in a frame.
(5) Get out the softest, squishiest, coziest sweater pillow I’ve ever made for winter napping. ♥
PILLOWS A-LA-MODE 
Oh no, I can’t take down the Christmas decor until at least mid-January. It just warms our home so much! My husband feels the same way. In fact, one year (I’m ashamed to say) we left up our Christmas tree (it was artificial) through Valentine’s Day. I just switched out the Christmas ornaments for paper hearts I had made and bam: it was a Valentine’s Day tree. (Though I don’t plan on waiting that long again. Ha ha.)
Love the subtle choices you made to make your decor more “winter” and less Christmas, while still keeping those homey touches. Love it! And great idea to use so many free printables. I’ve been getting into those a lately myself. Happy new year!
I LOVE the Valentine Tree idea! Hmmm . . . then Easter eggs . . . then flowers . . . then mini-pumpkins . . . 🙂 And do I EVER love the free printables people share on their blogs! They are such a treasure! Happy New Year to you, too, dear Lauren!
Good going Katherine, it still looks like Christmas morning here…I need to get hoping.
I always try to change things out on the 31st so I can goof off on New Year’s Day before going back to work! 🙂 But doing it this way isn’t too hard. 🙂
How lovely !!
Thank you! 🙂
Love the sweater pillow, and the snowflake garland is lovely!
Thank you! They’re two of my favorite creations, too! 🙂
I do the same change from Christmas to winter each year. Santas go away and snowmen stay. I also like blue and white for winter and traditional red and green for Christmas. I love the fabric forest and the pillow!
Thank you! I do love having snowmen out! 🙂 The printables were in blue and I found that I really like that color touch for winter, too! 🙂
I leave the decorations up until Epiphany on Jan 6 then I have to take them down in one fell swoop so I don’t prolong the agony.
That’s a marvelous idea, too! I like that you link it to another special day. 🙂
ok, love those vintage milk bottles / holders with leaf arrangement- really lovely. nice you worked it into your festive decorations!
Thank you! Did you notice that I linked to you in the original post about them? 🙂
yes, it was very kind of you! i’m impressed that you used eucalypt leaves in your festive display! those milkbottles would alao be good for egg-nogg….
What a Great Ideas. I love the presentation of the Good Old Days Glass Milk Bottles. Your creativity with the Milk Bottles is unique. Mtetar
Thank you, Mtetar! My dad gave them to me (they belonged to my grandparents) and he was pleased to see them refurbished and displayed on my cabinet when he came to visit! 🙂
Santas go…. but snowmen and snowflakes stay. (although, lately I find as I get older, that time is going SO fast, I wonder why I put Christmas away at all, it comes around again so quickly! 🙂 )
I know what you mean! 🙂
Well…I must admit I put them all away because I don’t want to have to repack and go back and forth to the attic. But, I like what you left.
I would definitely do the same if I had to put them in the attic, Judy! Luckily, mine go in the guest room closet so they’re not too hard to put away. 🙂 But can our guests actually hang clothes in there? Nope! 🙂
I love your tweaks! It is such a nice transition from Christmas decorations to winter ones!
Kenley
Thank you, Kenley! And we even got our first snow (and a really lovely one at that!) to complement everything! 🙂
I didn’t put up many decorations this year, but I was still happy to take them down on NYD. But I do love your idea of changing the decor just a tad for winter, keeping the festive feeling.
I seem to simplify the decorating every year. This year we even did a tabletop tree instead of the big one! But I do love the warmth and charm all of it adds . . . especially when it’s snowing outside! 🙂
Love your sweater pillow. We’re keeping the decorations up until 12th Night. I would be very sad to take my tree down before then.xx
I LOVE that idea! 🙂
Great ideas, and I like how you’ve presented the pictures here! I took pictures of my Christmas decorations, and am now playing them in a digital photo frame.
I LOVE that idea! 🙂 Those digital frames are so fun.
We wait until 1/7 so we have the 12 days of Christmas but I love your ideas for keeping a winter feel.
What a good idea! I love hearing about everyone’s traditions! 🙂
I do too. 🙂
That’s such a lovely idea! I took my decorations down today and things are feeling a little sparse – I think I may have to make up some lovely wintery decorations now. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
You’re very welcome! The free printables might be a good place to start! Or . . . Valentine’s Day is coming soon . . . 🙂
I have so many ideas racing through my mind I’m not really sure where to start! It probably won’t be with a printable (my printer is very low on ink!) but I’ve been shopping today for old books, so some of them may end up as some sort of decoration…. Watch this space! 🙂
I LOVE that idea . . . can’t wait to see your creations! 🙂
They are DOWN DOWN DOWN and I am loving the clean uncluttered look once again – lol. I did however, notice I forgot the wreath around the garage doors – gonna get that when I get home! Happy New Year!
I ALWAYS find some little thing way after I’ve undecorated! I guess we get so used to seeing them that we don’t even notice them! Enjoy your nice, back-to-normal house! 🙂
Normally this would be our home. I don’t know what happened to me this year but it’s like I had to clean it all up and pack it away before the New Years. I think I was so Christmased out that that I was actually looking forward to transitional decor and winter crafts and even Valentines Day (which for the record is so not my thing). I love those milk bottles too! But my fav is the mantle full of photos. As an only child I wish I was raised in a big family.
I do the complete put-away sometimes, too . . . just depends on the mood, doesn’t it? And I’m SO happy to have all the family photos back up! These on the mantle are our seven sons (a combination of mine and Dave’s) with their amazing wives. We also have grandchildren photos everywhere! As you can imagine, our holidays are crazy-fun and lively! 🙂
You have very good ideas! it’s perfect; transition from Christmas to winter 🙂 Wish you and your family a Happy New Year 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 Did you enjoy your gift-wrapped wall mirror over the holidays? My granddaughter couldn’t wait to unwrap ours after Christmas! 🙂
You always have Awesome ideas….Happy New Year to ya…
Thank you . . . and to YOU! 🙂
Really lovely ideas! Happy 2013 to you and yours!
Thank you! And to you! 🙂
Nice! I love seeing all the wedding photos on your mantel. What a happy collection.
Thank you! I DO love those photos and am always glad to put them back up after Christmas for the rest of the year! 🙂 The first four are Dave’s sons and their wives and the last three are my sons and their wives. Yes . . . we have all boys . . . but now lots of lovely girls in the family! (Not to mention all our adorable grandchildren!!!) 🙂
How amazing to have all those boys. My husband is one of three boys, I’m one of three girls. We have two boys of our own.
Congratulations on your large, happy, blended family, and all those wonderful daughters-in-law. That is the sweetest.
Wonderful ideas 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 It even snowed that day . . . perfect! 🙂
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This is the hardest part of the holidays, I could keep mine up all year 🙂 Love the changes you made
Thank you, Liz! 🙂