Cozy living is something I believe in with all my heart. It's not an aesthetic to me. I loved it way before it was trendy. It was how I was raised and in many ways, it's all I've ever known. It's a way of life to me. It's my way of life. And I love it...and I'm so very thankful for it, too.
There's so much I want to share about it, even more than I already have, but I have to remind myself one post at a time. I can get very over-excited about topics such as this because I just love talking about them so much. But one aspect of the cozy life that I've received questions about is: how do I make coziness a thing during spring and summer?
Let me begin by saying that I totally, 100% agree that coziness is much more accessible and easier to bring about in the autumn and winter. There's just something extra magical about these seasons that spring and summer just lack, in my opinion. I am also an autumn and winter girl through and through, so that also helps. (More on that in a bit, though!) But, seriously, how in the world do you bring coziness into your life when it's hot and humid outside? Well, there's a few things I do personally, and some thoughts I have on this topic.
To begin, let me say that the cozy life in my opinion is also the comfy life. The casual life. The down-to-earth life. The homey life. The simple life. The magical life. The beautiful life. And those things are not dependent on there being red leaves on the ground or snow falling from the sky. Those things can exist just as much on a sunny spring day or when it's 90 degrees outside as they can any other time of year.
Allow me to elaborate:
Coziness equals comfort. So how do I make things cozy in the spring and summer? I make them comfortable. I make my home a place I want to be. There are fresh flowers in a pretty vase on the mantle. There is a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge, and mason jars of lemon water on the dinner table. I still play my instrumental music in the background whilst working, cooking, or doing whatever. My clothing is absolutely comfy...it's casual, simple, and comfy, which is how I describe my clothing style year-round. That to me is cozy clothing. In the summer, it's cotton t-shirts and soft denim shorts and my worn-in sandals. In the winter, it's sweaters and leggings and thick socks and my favorite pair of boots. Different but both equally as cozy. Because cozy equals comfort. It's as simple as that. The same goes for my pajamas. You need to sleep in really, super, incredibly comfortable clothing that feels good on your skin.
Living a cozy life all year round, means making life beautiful in every season. It means down-to-earth and casual and comfortable. (I don't think there's anything cozy about formality or fanciness.) It means making everyday things magical and special. And seeing the magic in life as well. It's making your home the coziest, most comforting, warm place all year long. It means truly delighting in, savouring, cherishing and celebrating life's simple pleasures. That's what it means to live a cozy life. And that, dear ones, is not limited to only a few months of the year.
Because cozy means comfort, that in itself answers the question of how to keep cozy all year round. Other things such as lighting seasonal scented candles or diffusing seasonally scented oils, bringing out your spring and summer design mugs and then swapping them out for autumn and winter designs is also a simple way to make things extra special. Making traditions for different seasons or times of year also evokes coziness. As much as having a soup simmering on the stove well into the evening for dinner on a crisp November night is cozy, so is having some marinated chicken on the grill cooking for dinner, fresh watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob and cole slaw on the table, the smell of charcoal wafting into the kitchen from the backyard on a hot, humid July evening, with the sun just setting and lightning bugs flying around as you try to carry in the food from the grill. Different but just as cozy.
Coziness is also about making memories and just really delighting in the magic of ordinary moments. Both of the dinner scenes I wrote about just now are very vivid in my mind as they are rich memories of my childhood. I can't tell you how many summer nights were spent just like that, adding in my sister and I in our pool swimming until dinner was served. My dad at the grill, jumping in the pool in between checking on the progress of the chicken or burgers cooking, and my mom sitting on our patio with the bug zapper zapping mosquito after mosquito. And then in the autumn, having our very favorite beef vegetable soup simmering on the stove for hours...a recipe my mom got from a friend when I was in kindergarten. My dad would walk in the door, getting home from work to the scent of herbs and tomatoes and veggies wafting through the air. We'd eat dinner and then all put on our coziest, warmest, softest pajamas and settle in on the couch together and watch an episode of Heartland. Coziness should create memories and remember memories of the past at the same time.
For some ordinary days that brought a bit of something special, my mom created something we've always called "car picnics". It started when my sister and I were very little and she would want to take us on picnics in the park. But it was always so hot in the summer and we couldn't eat our food without fighting off what seemed like a million bugs. So, she came up with a "car picnic"...we would either bring food from home or get something out and sit in the car air conditioning and free from bugs and enjoy our meal. A lot of times, we'd drive to a park or pretty area and park the car and eat there. We continued this in the winter too, but for the opposite reason. It's something we still do to this day and it is always such a fun time. And finally, as far as holidays go, I have equally fond memories of July 4th being an awesomely fun time...and cozy, too, just as much as I remember Christmases past being so magical and out-of-this-world special. Both cozy, just done a bit different.
I will admit that coziness in the spring and summer calls for a bit more creativity and imagination. But it's there. If you think about coziness as being another word for comfort, I think that makes all the difference.
Being a true lover of autumn and winter practically my whole entire life, I await these seasons with much anticipation. There's just so much I love about this time of year! But I very well know that not everyone feels the same way. So, I thought I would share a few ideas I have to help you love (or at least, like) autumn and winter more...
♥ First things first. You have got to make your home cozy. You've just got to. I'm sorry but you're not going to feel cozy in a colorless, minimalistic, sterile house. It's just that, too...a house. It's not a home. You need to make your home cozy. Add warmth in layers of blankets to your bed, tossed over the back of your couch or chairs, and in your wardrobe. Bring in lots of color and a variety of textures and patterns. Add candles to your home and switch to lower wattage light bulbs or even the amber colored ones for a cozier atmosphere. Fill your walls with artwork or pictures or decorations that are personal to you and your family. Actually, decorate your home...remember, decorations are not clutter. And while we at it, you need to get rid of your idea of "clutter". For your information, I don't believe in clutter and haven't for a couple years now. It's the most wonderful thing ever! (Read this article for more!) More on this tomorrow!!
♥ Stimulate all your senses to evoke warmth, coziness and comfort...
Scent: Candles, diffusing oils, stove top potpourri, something sweet baking in the oven, soup simmering on the stove...
Sight: Color, beauty, expressions of you and your family all around...
Sound: Music playing, having conversations with those you live with, the crackle of a lit fire...
Touch: Layers of warmth, textures, soft clothing, blankets, etc..
Taste: Make comforting meals that warm you from the inside out...
(Note: I'll have a post all about autumn though the senses out next week!)
♥ Actually get outside more. Don't stay cooped up all the time. Dress appropriately and bundle up if you need to but go outside. Breath in the crisp air; there's absolutely nothing like it. Look and truly notice the season's beauty around you. Listen to the sounds you hear...they're very different depending on the time of year. Hold out your hand and feel the rain softly falling or the snow gently dancing around you. Hear the crunch of the leaves under your feet. No matter what, get outside more.
♥ Make ordinary days magical. Come up with ideas as to how you can do this. Some things I love are seasonal tea parties, having special outings, preparing a special dinner, preparing hot chocolate in mugs at night whilst watching an episode of our current show.
♥ Eat by candlelight as much as possible.
♥ Cook delicious, comforting, warming meals.
Soups of all kinds...I could literally write an entire cookbook just on cozy, comforting soups
Chilis and stews
Breads of a wide variety, both savoury and sweet
Pumpkin or apple baked goods
Pot pies...seriously a favorite
Chicken and dumplings
Biscuits, rolls, muffins, you get the idea
♥ Drink lots of warming drinks in pretty mugs.
♥ Cultivate seasonal traditions for you and your family. These don't have to be grand or elaborate. Sometimes the simplest traditions have the most meaning and are the most memorable. I love our Autumn Celebration Dinner and Halloween night traditions. I also love just the little things we do that make the season special...movie nights, having snacky dinners, having an autumnal tea party, picking out the perfect pumpkins, getting matching Halloween shirts, bringing out all our decorations that we've had for years, changing our clothing out for the season and making our beds and couches extra cozy with layers of blankets and such. And at Christmas and throughout winter, we have many more traditions that we enjoy.
♥ Wear comfortable, cozy clothes that you feel good in. If your clothing doesn't feel gentle and soft against your skin, you need to dress in something else. Layer up. Layers are incredibly cozy.
♥ Celebrate the first day of autumn with a special dinner and seasonal dessert.
♥ Celebrate the winter solstice with a comforting dinner by candlelight, ending with hot chocolate in a pretty mug topped with yummy marshmallows or whipped cream.
♥ At the beginning of autumn, make a list of TV shows and movies you want to watch during the coming months. I have specific things I prefer to watch in the "cozy months" and it's always something I look forward to.
♥ At Halloween, watch festive episodes of your favorite shows and Halloween movies. At Christmas, watch festive episodes of your favorite shows and lots of Christmas movies. Listen to Christmas music as much as you can, too! Throughout the autumn and winter is also the perfect time to watch cozy mysteries. (And to read them, too!) This is one of my most favorite ways to really soak up the time of year...and I'd argue, it's one of the simplest, too.
♥ Make a book stack of stories you want to immerse yourself in on these longer nights.
♥ Enjoy rainy days. Since rainy days are one of my most favorite things ever, I think there are lots of "perfect" ways to spend a rainy day. My favorite would have to be at home, with all the curtains open so I can actually see the rain, and just having a cozy day at home. Perhaps doing some kind of relaxing craft project (or doing some major cleaning or organizational project, as rain tends to give me energy), watching a movie, wearing really comfy clothing, candles lit whilst I bake something delicious and cook a comforting meal for dinner. We'd either eat round the table by candlelight or in front of the TV and watch a cozy mystery movie. I would also most definitely have to step outside, under the cover or in a rain jacket with an umbrella, to just breathe in the fresh, rainy air and listen to the rain for a bit. Ending the night in soft pajamas, with a cup of tea...in a pretty mug, of course, and a few episodes of a favorite show on the couch under a blanket before curling up in bed to read a few chapters out of whatever book I'm reading at the moment.
♥ Make snow days special. Especially the first snow of the season. One of our traditions is to watch the movie "Snow Day" whenever it snows. It's something from my childhood and we just keep doing it. When we were little, my mom would practically have to beg my sister and I to come in from the snow (whenever it did snow here) and warm up a bit. She would prepare hot chocolate, some snacks and put this movie on for us. It's kind of a cheesy, cringey movie at parts, but I still enjoy it for the nostalgia and snowy vibes it has.
♥ Find a creative or home project to work on.
♥ Plan simple, fun outings every now and then, too. Going to the library or perusing a bookshop. If you have museums near you, check them out. If there's something interesting happening not too far from your house, make a day out of it. Or even take a little getaway if you fancy that. We don't have something like this every year, because it seems as though performances rarely ever come to our area that we are interested in. But one of my top things I love to do most is to go see a play or a musical or a concert. Those are my favorite kinds of special outings! Plan fun things. Don't make yourself miserable because you don't do anything...
♥ And when you're at home, make it fun as well. Try baking something new. Redecorate a room. Home is a wonderful place; it's my most favorite. Make it fun. Make it a place you crave to be!
♥ Hang fairy lights in your home and enjoy the twinkle and sparkle.
♥ Make the holidays as magical as you possibly can. I don't believe you're ever too old to dress up for Halloween. Watching the Macy's Day Parade is a must on Thanksgiving. And baking Christmas cookies and listening for sleigh bells in the sky on Christmas Eve is something that just never, ever gets old. In our home, the holidays have always been something that makes this time of year extra special. You don't have to be rich or do things up fancy to have the most magical holiday season. We don't; we never have. For us, it's homey, cozy, steeped in tradition, and just lots of fun.
♥ Because the evenings are longer, make them as cozy as possible. Play board games or do a puzzle.
♥ If it snows, go outside and play in it. You're never too old to build a snowman, make a snow angel or have a snowball fight. Don't be afraid to have some fun!
♥ Find some things that you enjoy about this time of year. As much as I do not enjoy summer's hot and humid weather and relentless intense sun, there are things that I do genuinely love about summertime. The same is true for the people who aren't the biggest lovers of colder weather months...so find some things you do enjoy and focus on them.
♥ Let nature in! Open those curtains. Pull up those blinds. Regardless of whether it's sunny, rainy, cloudy, or snowy, let that nature in and enjoy the view.
♥ On the topic of nature, set up some bird feeders in front of your windows. Set out squirrel food on the ground. One of our favorite things about autumn and winter is feeding the little critters and then watching them from the warmth and comforts of our home. And our cats simply adore this as well! To them, our big kitchen window is like a giant TV, and they sit there for hours watching birds and squirrels come to and fro as they nibble on their feast.
♥ Finally, on the note of nature, take winter drives at sunset. There's nothing quite like a winter sunset as the sky turns all shades of pinks, reds, oranges, soft lavender...this is one of our favorite winter activities. And what makes it even more fun is taking along a travel cup of hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee, or spiced apple cider. We found reusable travel coffee cups at Marshall's a long time ago and they come in handy all the time for outings like this.
(Our cups look a lot like this style. Though at Marshall's we found ones with cute designs, and they cost less than $10 each. They are BPA free and made of healthy material. I would highly suggest checking out a Marshall's, TJ Maxx, or Home Goods if you have them near you for this kind of thing. Those stores carry the neatest items!)
♥ Make your shower/bath time warm and relaxing. Wear soft pj's. Make your bed feel like a fluffy cloud.
♥ Nurture yourself. Nourish yourself.
♥ Remember, coziness equals comfort. So delight in home comforts and bring as many cozy comforts into your days as possible.
My dear reader friends, I do so hope this post inspired you towards a cozy life the whole year round. Remember: coziness equals comfort. And I hope you are maybe a bit more in love with autumn and winter as well...I truly love these seasons the most and I can't help but share my enthusiasm with others. Goodness knows there's so much enthusiasm about hot weather, sunny days, and all things summer...which is totally fine. But let's not forget us folks who love crunchy colorful leaves on the ground, snow falling gently from the sky, cold weather and wearing layers of warmth, grey rainy days, and longer nights. If you want more on this type of thing, honestly, just stick around here for a bit or look through my archives. Because cozy living, autumn and winter, and making life beautiful and magical are things I love writing about, you'll find a lot of that here. Check out this post on loving rainy and snowy weather, to get you started.
Until tomorrow, may your evening be cozy and comforting in every way.
♥