The Homemaker’s Guide to Easy Winter Homemaking
Winter is one of the greatest times to embrace the art of homemaking since we spend so much time within our homes. While the world sleeps beneath a blanket of white and bare birch limbs, the homemaker finds new rhythms of rest and renewal, creating a cozy world within the walls of her home. Set cleaning challenges, create a warm atmosphere, and embrace the beauty of the barren world in winter with us. Let’s chat all things winter homemaking!
I used to be the type to completely skip winter.
While I love a good snow day, when the bright lights of Christmas dimmed, I moved on. The Christmas tree came down and up went soft pastels, floral arrangements, and tea cups in anticipation of spring.
One year changed all of that though.
Beside our house, we have an overgrown area. It was supposed to be a pond at some point, but it never held water. It did; however, grow the most beautiful evergreen trees intermingled with long dry grasses and bright red clay soil. And it was here that I was first captivated by the barren beauty of winter.
Since then the winter months have become my favorite season for meaningful homemaking.
What better season to fully embrace the beauty and wonder of cozy nights at home than the season where the cold air chases us inside?
Rather than fighting it or wishing it away, let’s embrace this season, its restful rhythm, simple decor, and the art of winter homemaking.
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How to Cultivate a Cozy Feel this Winter
The feeling of winter is much slower-paced than any other season. This sometimes leads us into this cycle of sadness known as the winter blues.
The deep red leaves of autumn lead us to bonfires and pumpkin patches. The deep greens of spring call us to start seeds and raise baby chicks. And summer finds us in the garden and the kitchen from big yellow sunrise to sunset.
Winter is different.
The sun itself seems to take a break.
The trees stretch bare arms high into the sky and find a moment of rest throughout this season. The gray sky looms overhead and the grass drifts from green to soft yellow or lies hidden beneath a blanket of fresh white.
Everything in nature knows the long days will return. The tasks and chores of the summer harvest will slowly come back onto our to-do lists.
But for a moment- for a season– nature rests, and we should too.
As we turn into our homes for a season of slow, let’s make home a beautiful and enjoyable place to be.
Cultivating a cozy and warm welcoming home this time of year can be so simple. It also sets the stage for a more productive spring and summer.
When you think of a cozy winter home what do you see?
Your favorite candles? Evergreens in beautiful antique vases? Latticed apple pies in cast iron pans keeping warm on the stovetop?
I think of all those things too.
But all the more I think of an atmosphere.
A place where my whole family is gathered- loud and lively.
A place where my husband kicks off his work shoes and pours a hot cup of coffee as he pulls us all close in a sweet embrace.
Coziness is a beautiful feeling to create in a home, but when the peace of God rests on your home- well that is an entirely different and beautiful thing. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you have that this winter.
Before you clean, organize, craft, decorate, or learn a new skill- pray over your home.
Anoint it.
Pray Scripture over it.
These may seem like little things, but this is where a cozy home starts. No matter how many toys clutter up the rug or how full the laundry basket gets, nothing can steal the peace of home if it comes from God.
Winter Homemaking Cleaning Challenges
Cleaning is not the heart of homemaking, but it certainly is part of it.
One of the best things about winter is that most of the homemaking actually stays within the home- more so than the rest of the year anyway.
As winter approaches, this is such a good time to focus on organizing or tackling a home project that often gets pushed aside in all the busyness of life.
While I will offer a couple of cleaning challenges for us to accomplish together in a minute, let’s first focus on individual tasks.
You, the homemaker, know your home better than anyone and you know what those little odd jobs are that really need to be accomplished.
Don’t get so hung up on the desire for new flooring or a bathroom makeover that you can’t quite afford right now. Scrub, shine and organize what you have. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn to love the seemingly imperfect when you embrace it with a grateful heart!
So jot down the things you need to do that are specific to your own home this season.
Now here are 5 deep cleaning Winter Homemaking challenges we can do together!
1. Change up the Bedding
The idea here isn’t to buy all new bedding, but rather to give what you have a beautiful refresh!
If you did our fall homemaking guide with us, this was on it also. Flipping your mattress, washing your mattress cover, and stripping your sheets bring such a clean cozy feel to your room.
This is an easy way to make a big difference in your home without spending a ton of money!
In the wintertime, we switch to flannel sheets with evergreen branches printed on them. Nothing says cozy like a comfy bed at the end of the day!
2. Deep Clean Window Treatments
While less light tends to fill our homes in the wintertime, our curtains and blinds continue to gather dust. Now is the perfect time to wash, iron, or steam your curtains. (You’ll want to look up instructions on how to clean your specific curtains!)
It is also a great time to wipe down your blinds! Wood blinds can be cleaned with a microfiber cloth. Plastic blinds can be wiped down with vinegar and water or taken down and soaked in a solution of water and vinegar in your bathtub. (I usually do about 2 cups of vinegar.)
3. Wipe Down Furniture
Most of us probably dust on a regular basis, but often the legs of furniture, the drawers, sides, or bases of tables and chairs get overlooked.
Winter is a perfect time to wipe down all of your furniture!
This is also the easiest way to refresh your home and make everything feel new!
For wood furniture, you may want to use something like Murphy’s oil.
I use my homemade all-purpose cleaner for everything- including this. I simply add all my citrus peels to a mason jar and top it with white vinegar. Then I fill a glass spray bottle, like this one, with 1 part vinegar mixture and 3 parts water.
4. Touch Up Paint
This used to be a big part of my spring cleaning, but spring is so busy with seed starting, prepping the garden, and raising baby chicks that it only makes sense to move it to winter!
We have a house full of little hands and I wouldn’t want it any other way. But children are very hard on walls and cabinets- and perhaps I am too.
Touching up the worn-off paint makes the entire home feel clean and fresh with minimal effort on my part. It is also my favorite kind of housework because you only have to do it once a year! I might enjoy laundry if I only had to do it once a year.
5. Get Rid of Some Clutter
I am not going to challenge specifics here because I do not know your personal home, but I know in my house we can always stand to declutter.
Challenge yourself to get rid of more than you think you can.
You may not realize it, but as a homemaker, you are in charge of everything in your home. The more things you have, the more you have to manage.
Getting rid of some things in your home frees up time and space! If you have some items you aren’t sure you can bear to part with, then I challenge you to box them up and tuck them away somewhere. Circle a date on your calendar- perhaps in 2 or 3 months. Whatever is left in that box that you haven’t needed, toss it!
5 Tips for Cozy Winter Homemaking
Now for the fun part! My favorite part of embracing any season is taking some of the beauty that God has created outside and bringing it inside. Here are 5 tips to help you cozy up your home this winter!
1. Embrace the Barrenness
The trees have a different kind of beauty this time of year. The evergreens pop against the gray backdrop of a winter sky and the deciduous trees outline the horizon like outstretched bony limbs of a withered frame.
I often find myself taking down more than I put up for the winter season.
There is a beauty to the barrenness.
After all the holly and tinsel from our Christmas decor, I dream of a bright and empty home, much like the landscape after a newly fallen snow.
It isn’t about putting everything away, but rather letting everything you display have a purpose. That purpose may simply be to be beautiful and bring you joy. But rid your home of the cluttered corners and stacks of cookbooks and yarn in the basket by the couch, and let home reflect the barren landscape just outside your front door.
2. Decorate Your Home with Winter Finds
This again goes back to bringing the outdoors in.
A great way to bring the outdoors in is to actually go out and collect from it!
My favorite centerpiece this time of year is always the branches and dried grasses I find around my yard.
Pinecones, rosemary springs, dried oranges, grapefruits, and cranberries all make for beautiful winter decor.
One of the easiest ways to decorate your home during the cold months is to go for a walk and see what in nature inspires you. Take your clipping shears and a basket and then see what you can create from your findings!
Garlands of dried fruits and wooden beads on twine are simple ways to add character this time of year. They can be draped over furniture and doorways or hung on walls around your home.
3. Create an Inviting Atmosphere
While we all hope our homes are inviting when others come to visit, winter is the perfect time to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for your guests. Nothing says welcome like a warm home on a cold rainy day.
Beeswax candles, diffusing essential oils, simmer pots, flannel blankets, a fire in the fireplace, or a small heater all hum a welcome song that inspires our guests to kick up their feet. It should inspire us to kick up our feet as well and embrace the slower pace of the colder months.
4. Try Something New
Have you ever wanted to learn to crochet or embroider? Is sourdough calling your name? Have you been dying to finally read Lord of the Rings?
Winter is where all of these dreams take root.
This is the perfect time of year to turn in a little early, to sit and crochet, or read by candlelight. To watch a starter rise and fall by the warm oven light. To put your hand to something new.
Try something you have always wanted to do. Or just pour a cup of coffee and drink in the calmness of a silent winter night.
Spring will come. Life will be busy again. Embrace your home and your time at home this season.
5. Let Home Be Home
This may sound like a silly tip, but sometimes home becomes our work. Obviously, we have housework to do and we don’t want to be idle or a busybody. But home should be our safe place, our happy place. It should be filled with laughter and the pitter-patter of tiny feet.
It should feel like home.
Peaceful.
Comforting.
Serene.
Even in the chaos and roar of a bunch of children.
If there is one thing I could encourage you to do this winter, it would be to fall in love with your home- that’s the heart of winter homemaking. Even if it needs some renovations. Even if it isn’t your forever home. Pour time, prayer, and love into it- you may be surprised by the contentment and joy you can cultivate in a little home when you simply let home be home.
Making A Beautiful Home this Winter
Is there a better time of year to stay indoors?
To pour a cup of coffee or a cup of tea and curl up with a good book or a new hobby. To try out new recipes or catch up on some homeschool reading with all your little ones gathered around your feet.
I’ve heard it said that a woman should be most beautiful within her own home. As you embrace seasonal homemaking, I pray your worries fall away. I pray you find the joy and peace of home within your own walls. I pray your candles flicker and burn in beauty and the barrenness of a winter landscape paints a portrait of togetherness within your home.
My friend, you are a homemaker. What a gift that is!
To create an atmosphere, a safe and happy place where your family gathers and your children grow. A place they will always look back to and remember how it felt to sit at Mom’s table. How it felt to be warm, wanted, and loved on a cold winter’s night.
I’m reminded that this calling is so beautiful. In fact, our Heavenly Father is also preparing a place for us.
May we model our homemaking after His. May His peace, His joy, and His contentment abide within our walls.
Happy Winter Homemaking!
Happy Aiming!
Wow amazing blog layout How long have you been blogging for you made blogging look easy The overall look of your web site is magnificent as well as the content
Beautiful post. By far the best part was when you pointed to God being the ultimate source of any beauty or peace in a home – there is no better advice.
No better advice than to “pray over it…anoint it..pray scripture over it”
Amen! May God bless you 🙏
Absolutely! So many of us grew up in beautiful homes with awful atmospheres. Creating a feeling of peace and comfort in home is the most important thing a homemaker can do- and that all starts with God! ❤️ Thank you so much for reading!
This is SO beautiful and encouraging – not only is your blog gorgeous and appealing to the eye, but your writing is so warm and descriptive too! Loved this read. Pinned, and looking forward to reading more!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤️ That really means the world to me!