Ready to take down Christmas decor?  Try any of these 30 easy ideas for non Christmas winter decorating for a home that feels cozy and fresh!

​The holidays are over, the Christmas decor is coming down, and if you’re anything like me, there are mixed feelings of sadness that the festive season is over and equal anticipation of a home that feels fresh and cozy.  Even though we don’t have anything close to a winter wonderland here in South Florida, I still like to embrace the winter season and make our home decor feel extra cozy.  Especially with the long evenings and more time at home in a less-busy time of year, I love having a cozy feel to our spaces.  Today, I’ll share with you some simple ideas for non Christmas winter decorating that you can easily incorporate into your cozy winter home!

How to decorate for winter after Christmas?

Before I actually start decorating for winter, there are a few things I like to do.  These steps help me prepare to reset our home for the winter months while feeling like a true refresh for the new year!

1. Remove all Christmas-specific decor.  This includes anything in Christmas-specific colors.
2. Gently pack and store all large Christmas trees.  (To me, this is anything over a few feet tall.)
3. Declutter: as I am packing up Christmas decor, it’s a good time to clean out decor I didn’t use or don’t plan to use again.
4. Completely clear the space, down to the bare minimum with undecorated, flat surfaces.  I often take out even the throw pillows and ALL decor so I have a truly clean slate to deep clean.
5. Deep clean.  Goodness, does it feel good to give our entire home a really good cleaning to start the new year!
6. ​NOW I am ready to start adding back decor in soft neutrals with a lot of texture for cozy winter decor!

How to decorate for winter but not Christmas?

​One of the best things about decorating for the winter months is that it is the perfect season for the most simple kinds of decor.  You can also draw from your Christmas decorations to help you get started with simple winter decor ideas.  Winter decor doesn’t need to be expensive, over-the-top, or time-consuming.  In fact, I think cozy winter decor is actually the opposite of all of that!

I’ll show you some specific ways that I incorporate non-Christmas winter decorations throughout our home after the holiday season.  First, though, here is a list to get the creative wheels turning in your own brain!

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30 Easy Ideas for Non Christmas Winter Decorating 

1. Pine cones
2. Small trees
3. Twinkle lights
4. Faux fur
5. Wooden bowl or dough bowl
6. Winter greens
7. Simple green garland
8. Cut fresh greenery stems
9. Clippings from evergreen trees
10. Birch logs
11. Fresh flowers
12. Winter wreath
13. Neutral colors
14. Fur throw pillows
15. Chunky knit throw blankets
16. Mercury glass
17. Brass or silver candle holders
18. Flameless candles
19. Pine scented candles
20. Vintage or thrifted art with a winter scene
21. Cozy blankets and pillow covers in winter whites
22. Natural elements
23. Mirrors
24. Glass cloches
25. Vintage white vase or pottery pieces
26. Antlers
27. Brass deer
28. Layer decor for lots of texture
29. White or wooden houses with candles
30. Woven baskets

30 Easy Ideas for Non Christmas Winter Decorating 

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Non Christmas Winter Decorating for the Front Door

How to decorate your porch in January?

This is the easiest spot for a quick refresh!  I keep my Christmas wreaths out and just remove any ribbon, red bows, ornaments, or Christmas lights.  The winter greenery is a perfect way to welcome friends and family in a simple, seasonally-appropriate way that still feels fresh.

I also remove all holiday decorations from my porch and entryway areas.  To replace them I add very simple outdoor pillows and lanterns.  I do love to keep a lot of outdoor flameless candles for a welcoming, cozy glow on our front porch for the winter months!

If you like to bring in some snow elements, a cute snowman or snowflake pillow would be perfect for a bench or rocking chair.  Since we are definitely NOT getting snow here, I tend to leave the snowflake decor for my northern friends.  However, I do love when I see it used in cold weather settings!

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Non Christmas Winter Decorating in the Living Room

The focal point in our family room is the long gallery wall over the thrifted mantel behind our sofa.  We don’t have a fireplace but the mantel is still the main focal point of this room.  I love decorating it for the seasons and holidays!  Over the years, I have enjoyed different kinds of winter decor in this space.  A budget-friendly way to bring winter elements into this space is to repurpose my Christmas greenery and garlands.

The first step I follow is to remove all of the Christmas elements from this space: ornaments, bells, stockings, and French horns.  I guess a French horn isn’t necessarily just for Christmas, of course, but they are definitely a staple in my Christmas collection now, so I removed them to pack up with Christmas decor.  However, I left all of the greenery just like I had it for Christmas for a budget-friendly way (and a time-friendly way!) to decorate!

​Next, I added empty frames, mirrors, and old violins.  They are so simple but I love how they bring a cozy touch to the space with pretty wood tones and interesting shape and texture.  Next, I added some neutral colored vintage books to give height variation.  Lastly, I added quite a few brass candlesticks and flameless candles.  Just because the holiday season is past doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy a cozy glow during the long, winter evenings!

​As a matter of fact, these elements are a great opportunity for more budget-friendly decorating.  Almost all of these pieces came from either a thrift store, vintage market, flea market, or antique mall!  Most of my favorite pieces are thrifted, after all!

​Tip: Watch at thrift stores for pretty frames that can be easily incorporated into winter decor.  

You can “frame” natural elements on the wall or favorite collections for a curated style.  Just as a tray corrals a vignette on a coffee table, a big frame can offer clean lines to style a collection on a gallery wall.

Even though this focal point wall is really simple, I love the statement piece it is for our winter decor.  The mirrors reflect the cozy candlelight and the old violins feel like they add interest without being season or holiday-specific.  At the same time, the neutral color palette feels peaceful and calming to all of my senses!

Non Christmas Winter Decorating in the Dining Room

Winter decor is a great time to bring in more natural elements.  Last year, I repurposed several seasonal decor items from Christmas to use in our dining room.  Keeping a really neutral color palette allowed me to have some fun with the dried oranges we used during the Christmas holidays.  A fun art piece gives a fresh look to the whole room without being too strong.  Also, it ties in with the dried orange slices in the adjoining kitchen for a cohesive decor style and accent.

I also used the white lantern houses (similar here) from my Christmas decor.  Since there is nothing Christmas-specific on the houses, I mixed them with vintage gold and silver and added small flameless candles inside of them.  I love how the soft candlelight reflects against the metallics.

Tip:  Glass, mirrors, and reflective surfaces are great ideas for winter decor because they help the light to bounce around the room.  

Especially during these months when it gets dark so early, reflective surfaces help a space feel brighter and more cozy.

On the dining table, you’ll find the most simple kinds of centerpieces.  Again, cozy candlelight and simple, winter greenery are my go-to elements for any table centerpiece, whether it is the dining table or a coffee table.

Non Christmas Winter Decorating in the Bedroom

Over on THIS post, I share all of my favorite tips to create a cozy winter retreat in the bedroom.  Just as with the other rooms, the first thing to do is pack up all of the Christmas decorations.  However, keep out some evergreen branches or pretty stems if you don’t have fresh ones available outdoors.

The next thing is to focus on a neutral color palette while adding a lot of cozy layers.

Tip: A more neutral color scheme is a great way to get that winter look indoors, as if you’re bringing a snowy landscape inside.  

At the same time, you are adding cozy blankets, pillows, and possibly extra layers of soft bedding for a luxurious look.  This will make your home feel like a cozy winter retreat for those long, cold weather evenings!

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How can I brighten my room after Christmas?

Especially when it gets dark so early in the evening, brightening up a room can help it feel fresh for the new year.  All of these elements will help create a space that feels bright while still being super cozy for winter:

• Neutral colors
• Lots of greenery
• Fresh plants
• Botanical artwork
• Candles
• Reflective elements (glass, mirrors, brass, silver)
• Layers of light colored bedding and pillows in neutral tones
• Mixture of textures

​Get more non Christmas winter decorating ideas for bedroom spaces over on THIS detailed blog post!

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How do I make my house feel cozy after Christmas?

We have chatted about cozy living spaces for winter decorating.  There are a lot of ways to create a cozy feeling.  However, I think the most important factor in creating a cozy feeling is whatever actually feels good and comforting to YOU!  This may look a little bit different for every beautiful home!

For me, a cozy feeling starts with calming the senses.  The best way to initially do that, for me, is with a neutral palette.  

Next, I add items that are soft to the touch: faux fur, velvet, knit, and layers of soft linen are my go-to favorites.

Then I focus on texture.  Elements that bring the outdoors in are always an easy way to add texture.  I like to do this through wood tones, greenery, and layers.

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As we wrap up the holiday season and prepare for a new year, I hope these tips and ideas help you create the coziest spaces around your own home.  

Remember, the easiest way to create a cozy home is to curate it with what you love and what makes you feel relaxed and at home.  At the same time, there are some tried and true tangible winter decor elements you can bring into your home to create the ultimate cozy retreat for winter!

You may also enjoy these posts:

• How to Make Storing Christmas Decorations Easy
• 10 Ways to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom Retreat On a Budget
• 3 Simple Winter Decor Vignettes You Can Make This Season
• How to Make Beautiful Winter Mantel Decor
• 9 Simple Ways to Decorate for Winter and Leave Up After Christmas Too

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