8 Ways to Make Your Warm Climate Home Feel Like a Winter Wonderland

If there’s one time of year when people who live in warmer climates miss life up North, it’s during the peak of the holiday season. All the sunshine, beach days and fresh air are almost not worth the sacrifice of a white Christmas and fresh snow gently piling up outside atop the evergreens.

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Despite the bitter chill, there’s something deeply warm and comforting about a snowy winter’s day, giving the holidays that once-a-year feeling that’s tough to replicate. Luckily, there are a few great ways you can make your warm climate home feel like a snowy oasis, even if you’re a true-blue snowbird. Here are our favorites:

1. Deck the Halls with All Things Holly-Jolly—First things first: deck the halls. Decorate with indoor and outdoor Christmas décor featuring themes of fluffy, white snow mounds and sparkly snowflakes. Bring on the snowmen, snowflakes and snow angels to take you somewhere ice-cold. Opt for a winter wonderland theme splashed with shades of pristine white, icy gray and sea blue, and top it off with some personalized stockings. We also love the idea of introducing some fresh evergreens, poinsettias and other classic winter plants so that your space both looks and smells supremely seasonal.
2. Light Some Winter-Themed Candles—Ah, the smells of the season—spicy cinnamon, fresh evergreen, sugar cookies baking, warm chestnuts roasting. We all know that there’s no better way to elicit certain feelings and nostalgia than through the nose, so go big with the seasonal scents, peppering them all over your house. Essential oil burners and plug-in diffusers are perfect for creating a warm, holiday-inspired ambiance without an open flame. Swap out all your citrus, linen and beachy candles for those more apropos for the cold.
3. Light a Blazing Fire (Or Turn on the Yule Log)—Nothing screams quaint New England winter quite like a roaring, real-wood fire. And did you know that you don’t even need a fireplace to achieve next-level, fire-burning coziness? Yep, even if you live in a tiny studio apartment or an ultra-modern urban loft, you can have a real fire. All you need is an electric fireplace (they make some that are compact enough to sit right on top of your desk or counter) and suddenly you’re cozied up by the flickering flame. Not big on plug-in fires? Go ahead and click on the Yule Log.

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4. Always Have Something Baking—Part of nailing that classic holiday feel is getting back to the simple things, like whipping up a tray of fresh-baked goodies from scratch. The sweet, nostalgic scents of soft bread, gingerbread cookies or even a honey-glazed ham will immediately transport you straight back to your childhood on Christmas Eve. To get even more into the spirit, throw on a holiday apron and crank up the holiday tunes as you bake your heart out.
5. Create Snowy Scenes in the Windows—Part of the enjoyment of living in a snowy climate during the holidays is gazing out the window to peer at the gorgeous, undisturbed, freezing-cold snow, all from the comfort of your perfectly warm home. To capture this feeling, you can use removable decals and artificial snow spray (yes, this exists, and it’s mainly for us warm-climate dwellers) to create the feeling of a snowy scene. Finish it off with some fuzzy snow fabric on the windowsill to give the appearance that the white stuff is piling up.
6. Make (Or Buy) Snow—It’s not practical nor eco-friendly to crank up the A/C and trick your brain into thinking you’re snowed in somewhere in the woods of Vermont, but there is an alternative—fake snow. This is a great way to show transplant kids what real snow is like, and it’s not as difficult as you might imagine. With companies like Ship Snow Yo, which ships real snow anywhere in the United States, you can have a real snowball fight even if it’s 70 degrees outside. It’s also quite possible to make fake snow yourself using stuff you already have around the house, which is a fun activity for kids on winter break.

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7. Have a Snow Day—Sure, living in warm climates we get plenty of time to lounge around on the beach, at the park or on a lake. But nothing beats the pure, guiltless joy of a lazy snow day. Once a winter, grant yourself permission to get mentally snowed in. That is, unless it’s an emergency or you get really bored, stay at home in your jammies and binge-watch TV while eating your favorite snacks under a cozy, personalized blanket. It’s the best way to get yourself into a chill, winter mindset.
8. Play a Wintry Soundtrack—You’ve got the sights, the tastes and the smells, but you can’t forget the sounds. What does winter sound like? It’s quiet, of course, but it’s also all about the crackling wood fires, the branches swaying in the wind, the tea kettle screaming at a high pitch. It also sounds like your favorite medley of Christmas music, from timeless hits like “White Christmas” sung by the inimitable Bing Crosby to the interpretive, snowy symphonies by classical greats (Debussy’s The Snow is Dancing, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, for example). Get your Spotify playlist ready and prepare for some goosebumps.

Getting into a Winter State of Mind

For many of us, the desire for cold subsides promptly on Dec. 26, when we’re once again ready for the sun. But even if it’s just for one day, we shouldn’t deprive ourselves of the beauty of a cold, winter wonderland. The key is to remember that a snow day, in warm climates, is just a state of mind, and one you can achieve through the right combination of smells, tastes and special feelings.