Creating a Cozy Christmas

For our family, the best part about Christmas is bringing the special ambiance of the holidays into our house. Since the time my sons were small, we spent many happy hours in November and December making ornaments, wreaths, candy, cookies and center pieces. Pots of potpourri or cinnamon candles burn 24/7, so the first thing you smell when you walk in our door is a promise of cheer and warmth. A big lighted star shines at the end of our driveway; you can see it from a quarter mile away as you come down the dark tunnel of woods toward our home.

The first weekend of December my husband and youngest son are charged with venturing forth to cut a tree. Then a whole day is spent decorating it with white twinkle lights and a collection of homemade and one-of-a-kind ornaments. As we unbox each ornament, we recall another Christmas past. Before long, the memories are strung together like the garland of popcorn and cranberries on the tree. We are present to the poignant sweetness of holiday tradition and an awareness of time passing more quickly than we had realized. We are present to continuity, loss, and love, all at the same time.

There is nothing glitzy or showy about our family Christmas. It’s all about the clay gingerbread men my boys made in Cub Scouts, and the paper chain we all worked on for hours many years ago. It’s about the simple, fragrant Douglas Fir boughs and cones in the big red bowl in the center of the coffee table. Martha Stewart would throw up her hands at the mismatched tableware and friendly hodgepodge of red and green placemats we use; she would no doubt blanch at the crumpled edges of the paper snowflakes we unfold each year to tape once again to our windows. We don’t care. We like it this way. Warm. Friendly. Easy. Cozy. Christmas.

In my latest erotic novella, Macy’s Awakening, Macy understands very well the wounds in Jerrod’s heart, and the power that cinnamon candles and fir boughs on the mantle might have to heal those wounds. She knows that nothing is more special than the glowing promise of a family Christmas, and nothing is as enduring as the treasure of love at its core.

I would love to hear about the special unique touches you add to your home to create the sweetness of the a family Holiday. Tell us how you create a cozy Christmas.

-Pepper
"Let's read something spicy!"