Got the After-Christmas Blues? Create a Winter Wonderland.

After nearly 15 years of marriage and parenthood, I’m now the keeper of at least a dozen large bins of Christmas decorations. Some things were inherited from parents and grandparents, others were picked up at after-Christmas sales and stored away until the next year. It has taken time, patience and effort, but I’ve finally amassed enough stuff to make our house drop-dead festive every holiday season.

“The Christmas decorations are beautiful,” my daughter said happily a few weeks ago. “But I really can’t wait for Winter Wonderland. That’s my favorite!”

What’s Winter Wonderland, you ask?

The concept originated four years ago in an effort to stave off the post-Christmas blues. After a depressing day of taking down the twinkling lights and the eye-catching ornaments and making everything look ordinary again (just in time to head into the two darkest, coldest months of the year, no less),  I decided to surprise my kids…

 

With this.

 

And this.

When the kids came home from school that day and went to their rooms, they were beside themselves.

Winter Wonderland was born.

 

Over the last few years, I’ve added to our Winter Wonderland decorations, picking up snow and winter-themed merchandise on deep discount at after-Christmas sales. This wreath was under ten dollars a few years ago on Kmart.com.

 

I lined the staircase banister with white Christmas lights, cotton ‘snow,’ silver mesh, snowflake ornaments, and winter garland. I think the total spent on this staircase was about $5.

 

I’ve picked up mercury glass votives for the mantel wherever I could find them on sale, and I love this vintage-y banner I found on Etsy– It says Love Conquers All.

 

Candles (flameless, because, KIDS)  are a big part of what makes our Winter Wonderland feel cozy during the many winter hours of darkness.

 

The kitchen window decorations were updated a bit this season– I strung lights around the window and behind the curtains, where they give off a soft, diffused glow. We hung paper snowflakes from the curtain rod and I found snowflake clings for the windows, which I’ve put all over the house. The ‘Let It Snow’ banner is also from Etsy, but it would be so easy to make your own.

 

This snowflake lantern has a flameless votive inside- It was 70% off at Michaels– less than $5. They only had two left and I’m kicking myself now for not getting the other one.

 

This reindeer is one of my favorite finds– It was $15 at a local antique mall! You can find the handmade glass icicles all over Etsy– I’ve strung them up all around the house.

 

In the dining room, I made a table runner with that roll of mesh and added more winter odds and ends.

 

These planters hold poinsettias during Christmas, but I can never come up with anything to put in them during the winter months. This year, I used the ice-tipped garland I had wound around the staircase during Christmas. Those strands of pearls were another awesome after-Christmas find– I was at an upscale Atlanta boutique a few years ago and they were on sale for $3 each! My mother and I bought a whole box of them and now I use them all over the house in the winter– hanging from chandeliers and mirrors, dripping from the mantle…

 

…and strewn among the candles on the fireplace. Frost-tipped greenery is another great after-Christmas find at upscale home and garden shops. I always hit Moore and Moore here in Nashville a few days before Christmas, when all of their AMAZING Christmas decorations are 50% off. That’s where I found these pretty silver branches last year.

 

I also found these snow-covered winter berries there, and used them to create this in a corner of the dining room.

I wanted to write about our Winter Wonderland this year because not only has it taken away our post-Christmas blues, it has completely changed our outlook on winter. This time of year is now something we all look forward to. It’s a time for snuggling in cozy blankets, enjoying the candles and twinkling lights after dark, and spending time together as a family. It really helps make our house a place we want to come home to– and that’s a great thing to focus on during the dreariest months of the year.

If you want to create your own Winter Wonderland, there’s still plenty of time to do it. Most stores no longer have white/silver Christmas merchandise, but you can still find plenty of great deals on snowflake garlands and winter-themed decorations online– I just ordered more hanging snowflakes for the kids rooms yesterday. Walmart.com, PartyCity.com, and Etsy.com all have lots of inexpensive winter/snowflake options. Look for silver and white ribbon and silver mesh, as well– I’m in love with mesh now because you can use it in so many different ways and it’s really easy to manipulate.

Stay warm!