A cosy home sets the stage for a perfect Christmas, a comfortable space to enjoy the gifts and get-togethers, and you can easily create one with just a few small changes to existing decor.

Seal up Draughty Doors and Windows

Long winter nights make you really appreciate thermal window dressings. Swap your lighter summer curtain fabrics for woven textiles with thermal linings, and you’ll notice the benefit, as they’ll help keep heat indoors where you want it.

Keeping internal doors closed also helps to seal off draughts, and if you have gaps beneath, invest in a draught excluder or two.

Cosy Twinkling Lights

There’s something special about all the lights that appear over Christmas. Whether they’re bright and twinkly or soft and subdued, they instantly lift the spirits and spread festive cheer. We’re so lucky to have a huge choice and the technology to put them wherever we like, indoors or out.

Use battery-operated light strings to brighten up dull corners indoors. Coil them inside bottles or glass vases, drape them around the mantelpiece and doors or windows. You can take cosy Christmas cheer into every room of the house, and why not?

Another way of using light to cosy up the house is to forgo the overhead light favouring more table or floor lamps. Uplighters cast a soft glow over the whole room, or you could choose directional lighting for craftwork or reading on dull winter nights.

Add Colour to Your Home with Textiles

Bring in some warm colours with throws, rugs and cushions. Include soft, snuggly blankets as part of your decor, draping them over sofas and chairs when they’re not being used. Or pile them up in a basket, so they’re ready to grab if the temperature dips. It’s cheaper and greener than pumping up the heating, and a lovely way to snuggle with a partner. Go for warm colours in reds and oranges, soft mossy greens, and warm brown shades.

In the bedroom, consider deep pile rugs you can sink your toes into as you get up in the morning, soft blankets draped across the foot of the bed, or textile wall hangings to absorb the chill of external walls. And don’t forget the thermal curtains here too.

You don’t have to buy new every time the season changes. If you don’t have space to store out-of-season items at home, local storage is easy to find up and down the country. Certainly, there’s plenty of self-storage in Liverpool, not far from where I live!

According to the season, changing homeware, accessories, and textiles is a great way of making your home feel fresh and welcoming.

Candles and Open Fires m

Just the sight of a warmly flickering flame can make you feel cosy at Christmas. So have plenty of candles and use them. Not very many of us have open fireplaces any more, but we can still enjoy the warm ambience of flickering flames. If you do have a fireplace, get some aromatic logs for their wonderful aroma.

For the rest of us, candles do a pretty good job. Group them in odd numbers and different sizes on hearths, tables or mantelpieces. Choose winter warming, spicy fragrances over soft florals if you like scented candles.

If candles bother you from a safety aspect, you could think about getting some wall sconces intended especially for candles. They don’t have to be a permanent feature if you don’t want them all year round. You can always take them down when summer rolls around again, maybe putting them with your other stuff in self-storage, so you have them for next year. When real candles are definitely off your cosy list, good quality battery ones can create a convincing effect.

Long winter nights and freezing outdoor temperatures are a perfect excuse to go overboard on cosying up to your living space. It sets the tone and helps create that lovely warm feeling inside that Christmas is all about.