A little sparkle, a little nature, a new look for January

My Christmas decorations go up early, and every single morning, starting in November, I flip the switch on every power strip the lights plug into, before I have even let dogs out or made coffee.

At night, after the doggies have been tucked in, the lights are regrettably turned off.  If it was feasible, they’d be on 24 hours a day around here.  

Once the season of cheer ends, I can’t face the long cold winter without some extra lighting, so I leave icy style garlands with mini twinkle bulbs above some windows and add lamps to the previously used power strips for some ambient glow to help me get through the insidious, dark, and and awful month of January.

Natural elements and plants are good aids in surviving winter, too.  

And I like the sparkle of glass this time of year.  

The mercury glass stays for the rest of the winter, with some pink roses and hearts added for February.

There is also something to be said for cleared spaces and clean lines, after the clutter of Christmas.  Filling my cottage with multiple collections and trees for November and December might be just what I need for that time, but by about 12/26, I am ready for simplicity.

Well, my idea of simplicity, at least!  I still love my stuff.

Just a little less stuff than normal.  And in neutral tones.

There are a few hints of color peeking out here and there, mostly muted.  And who can trash their poinsettias just because their holiday passed?  I always have a mixed feeling about them, because those flowers really shout “CHRISTMAS” to me.  But it feels like murder to get rid of them in January.  I’ve never been able to keep them alive too long, so it’s not a big problem.   But this year might be different, the two I bought months ago still are thriving and lovely.

There is a big splash of color from this glass art a friend made.  It makes me feel like sunshine is pouring in the room.

Actually, as far as January, we have had more bright light than we typically get.  Enough bright light to show every muddy dog foot print on the floor!  Oh well, be careful what you wish for, right?

The sunlight has been cheery, almost to the point that I forget it’s snowy and cold out there.