Home in January

The holidays were wonderful, and it was amazing to be in Paris on Christmas...but so good to be home!  It did not take too long to pack away Christmas as we did a "basic Christmas" since we would be away.

I love the peace and calm of January...cozy tea, good books, a fire, a comfy throw, and good movies.

While a lot of people don't decorate for January, I do - and find it fun and a nice change from all the holiday colors.

My chair is all set for reading and watching the snow fall.  The pillow is old - after Christmas sale at Hobby Lobby.  The silver bird from Target, and the Winter book by Mary Englebreit has been mine for years.

Some Christmas balls purchased at K-Mart years ago - a steal after the holidays - fill a tray from Dollar Tree on our coffee table.  I cut up some winter berry picks from JoAnn Fabrics to liven it up, then added a votive with a snowflake ornament ( also from Dollar Tree) on top.

Switched out the red holly for some white and blue picks on the mantel...

added a snowflake and winter bird to my ivy...

and made a simple centerpiece for the dining table.  The white "snowballs" are Martha Stewart ornaments I picked up after Christmas at Lowes years ago...the blue candle is new.  All of my candles looked more cream than white so I just ordered this one - a set of three - from Amazon.  I really like it because they were very inexpensive, and come with a remote, making it easy to light when we have dinner.

You can find them here - Blue Candles

Some snowmen and a snowflake in the kitchen corner...

and the snowmen are enjoying some wine, too.

This snowman was an ornament gift from a friend...I use it for January and used some nail polish to make the wine glass look like it holds a nice red blend!

Our foyer welcome guests with a winter greeting and another snowman...

as well as the snowman on our door.  It usually snows as soon as I take down the Christmas wreath and put this up...and this year did not disappoint.  Not much snow, but enough to feel cozy watching it while it fell.

Yesterday was Epiphany and it is our tradition to bless our home on that day.  When I was a child our parish priest would visit every home sometime after Christmas and bless the house for the coming year.  The door is marked with the year, a cross, and the initials of the Three Kings - Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar.  My mom was a wonderful cook and our parish priest always seemed to be at our home right before lunch - so my mom would invite him to stay for something to eat.

That tradition is fading away, and priests have not visited homes for many years....but we carry on the tradition by blessing our home with holy water and praying that everyone who enters our home is blessed.  

Today is our 47th wedding anniversary...so we do feel very blessed to have all these years together.  We are going out this evening to try a new restaurant  - and glad the weather is going to cooperate.  So many anniversary dinners have been snowed out over the years!

Love this meal for lunch or dinner during the cold winter months...so very cozy!

Do you decorate for January?  Are you a fan of the winter - or are you longing for Spring?  Please leave a comment below - I love hearing from you !

Have a cozy winter!