December arrives with an energy all its own. The crisp air, the early sunsets, the slow drift toward the holidays—everything about this month invites you to settle in, breathe deeper, and create a home that feels warm and grounded. However, December can also bring overwhelm: busy schedules, cluttered rooms, and the pressure to “make the season magical.”
This December reset is your gentle guide to stepping into the month with clarity and calm. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less—with intention, warmth, and a natural seasonal rhythm.
Below, you’ll discover how to prepare your home, nourish your routines, and create a grounded foundation for the rest of the month. This is winter homemaking at its softest and most peaceful.
Why a December Reset Matters
December is a month of contrasts. The world outside becomes darker and quieter, yet inside our homes, life often grows busier. School events, holiday preparations, family gatherings, and endless to-dos can leave the month feeling more chaotic than cozy.
A seasonal reset helps you:
- Reduce visual and mental clutter
- Prepare your home for winter rhythms
- Create space for meaningful traditions
- Protect your energy as a homemaker and a mom
- Prevent burnout and December overwhelm
A reset creates margin, and margin creates peace.
Step 1 — Start With a Warm Winter Clean (Not a Deep Clean)
A December Home Reset is a room-by-room refresh designed to prepare your space for the holiday season. It blends homemaking, mild decluttering, cozy winter decor, and creating warm, memory-filled environments for your family.
Unlike spring cleaning, this reset is gentle, doable, and mood-transforming. You don’t need to scrub baseboards or empty closets, unless you want to that is. It’s about creating a home that feels ready for winter, holidays, gatherings, and slow evenings by the Christmas tree.
Try this simple 30–40 minute reset to instantly transform your home atmosphere:
Kitchen
- Wipe counters and clear clutter
- Replace fall-scented items with winter ones (pine, balsam, gingerbread, cedar)
- Put out your favorite winter mugs
- Restock hot cocoa, tea, and baking staples
Living Room
- Fluff pillows + throw blankets
- Dust surfaces where holiday decor will go
- Vacuum under the couch and tree area
- Turn on warm lighting for instant coziness
Entryway
- Shake out door mats (and replace with seasonal ones if desired)
- Add a seasonal wreath
- Set out a basket for winter hats, gloves, and scarves
- Place a festive candle or vase with greenery
Bedrooms
- Swap bedding to something warmer
- Add layers (throw blankets, knitted throws, layered pillows)
- Wipe nightstands + briefly open a window for fresh air
This quick reset gives your home a soft, clean, and overwhelmingly welcoming foundation for all the decor to come.
Step 2: Create a Festive Seasonal Scent
Seasonal scents are the first step in creating a full sensory holiday home. Scents have a beautiful way of reaching places in our hearts that words sometimes can’t. A single aroma can sweep us back to a holiday morning, a childhood kitchen, or the early days of new motherhood — all in a heartbeat. For me, it is the smell of a crackling wood fire accompanied by the faint smell of a Fraser fir. This is the subtle and daily embodiment of the holiday season from my childhood.
This peculiarity is because our sense of smell is uniquely wired to the parts of the brain that hold our emotions and memories. While other senses take a longer path, scent goes straight to the limbic system, the place where we process meaning and feeling. It’s why the smell of pine can feel like a warm invitation into winter, or why a familiar perfume can bring back someone you love as if they were standing right beside you. In a home that’s lived-in, loved, and intentionally nurtured, scent becomes more than fragrance — it becomes a quiet storyteller
Holiday homes smell warm, nostalgic, and comforting. Instead of harsh artificial fragrances, choose richer, more natural seasonal scents.
Simmer Pots
Steep on the stovetop:
- Orange slices
- Cranberries
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon sticks
- Whole cloves
- Star anise
Diffuser Blends
- Pine + vanilla
- Orange + cinnamon
- Cedarwood + clove
- Peppermint + eucalyptus
Beeswax or Soy Candles
Look for:
- Fraser fir
- Balsam
- Gingerbread
- Spiced cider
- Christmas hearth.
Step 3 — Create a Seasonal Home & Decorate More Elaborately (Without Creating Clutter)
Transform Your Entryway Into a Winter Welcome
This sets the tone for the entire home. We want to make a visual impact but still be minimal enough without decor that it is not impeding daily life nor does it make us feel overwhelmed.
Add:
- A lush garland around the door frame
- Layered doormats (one patterned + one coir)
- A lantern with warm-toned battery operated candles
- A small basket of pinecones
- A mini Christmas tree or two in woven baskets (space permitting)
Create a Multi-Layered Fireplace Mantel
If you are like me and may not currently have a mantle, any surface can be used in leu. For us, this is currently our media cabinet. Consider layering the following:
- A thick, cedar or fir garland (real or realistic faux)
- Twinkling mini lights
- Velvet or linen ribbons hanging down
- Placing brass candlesticks in varied sizes
- Framed winter prints or vintage-style art (seasonal family photos are also an amazing sentiment touch)
- Hang 3–5 oversized stockings (even if your family is smaller!)
The layering makes the room feel full and warm but shouldn’t feel overwhelming.
Make Your Christmas Tree a Showcase
To achieve an cozy look:
- Start with around 300–500 warm white lights per 6–7 ft tree
- Add ribbon in 2–3 coordinating colors (gold, emerald, ruby, or champagne)
- Mix ornament textures: glass, wood, mercury, matte metallic, velvet
- Add special ornaments that tell your family’s story (this is by far the vast majority of our ornaments as each tells a story)
- Add a thick, cozy tree skirt or woven basket base
A full tree instantly makes the home feel festive.
Build a Holiday Kitchen Nook
This can be of the most beloved decor trends because it’s functional and beautiful. It also feels celebratory of the season and can encourage slow moments spent baking or sipping on hot chocolate in the kitchen with your loved ones.
Ideas to consider:
- A mini hot cocoa + tea bar
- A tray with a candle, greenery, and festive mugs
- A bowl of winter fruits (think clementines, pomegranates, and pears)
- Hanging bells on a lesser used cabinet knob
- A holiday baking station with jars of:
- flour
- cocoa
- chocolate chips
- sprinkles
- brown sugar
Cozy Up Living Spaces With Winter Textures
Texture creates warmth without adding clutter which is why this is a favorite of mine. Layer your cozy textures:
- Cable-knit throw blankets
- Flannel pillow covers
- Wool or sherpa cushions
- Patterned holiday pillows
- Extra-large woven baskets for blankets
Elevate Your Staircase (if applicable)
This is the perfect place to go more elaborate as it prominent without being interruptive. Consider adding the following to create a magical “story book” moment”
- A lush Christmas garland
- Velvet ribbon tied in bows
- Hanging bells
- Twinkle lights woven through the greenery
Use Multiple Light Sources
Warm lighting makes the home feel like a glowing winter cottage. There is truly nothing better than when the sun begins to make its early descent as the house becomes aglow with the warm cozy lighting within. To achieve this, consider using a mix of the following:
- Fairy lights in vases or jars
- Warm-toned LED taper candles
- Lanterns with pillar candles
- Small table lamps
- Christmas window candles
Step 4 — Simplify Your December Calendar
December gets overloaded in a blink I an eye. School concerts, office parties, gift exchanges, family gatherings, travel and simple festivities can fill every spot on your calendar until you’re feeling more exhausted than festive. Simplifying your December is not about doing less for the sake of it—it’s about making space for the things that truly matter to you and your family.
Step-by-Step Guide to Simplifying Your December Calendar
Part one: List Everything You’re Invited To or Expected To Do
Dump every event, obligation, and request into one place:
- Family gatherings
- School events
- Holiday parties
- Church commitments
- Work deadlines
- Travel plans
- Volunteer events
- Shopping days
Seeing it laid out helps you understand the true load.
Part two: Categorize Events Into Must-Do, Want-to-Do, and Could-Let-Go-Of
Ask:
- Does this bring joy?
- Will this matter in five years?
- Is this for my family, or is it performative?
Often, events fall into:
- Must-Do: school concerts, essential family gatherings
- Want-to-Do: one Christmas market, a cookie baking day
- Could-Let-Go: multiple white elephant parties, extra recitals, distant extended family events
Part three: Set Weekly Rhythms
Rhythms lower decision fatigue. Instead of saying yes to every event, choose themes:
- One social event per week
- One cozy night in
- One day of holiday prep
- One kid-centered activity (if applicable)
Part four: Build Buffer Days
Protect your time by leaving 3–4 days open per week for:
- Rest
- Illness (inevitable with winter)
- Weather changes
- Unexpected plans
- Simply enjoying the season
I can promise you your future self will thank you!
Step 4 — Stock a Winter Kitchen That Makes Meals Effortless
Winter homemaking begins in the kitchen. When the days are cold and dark, your home’s warmth is so often found in simple, nourishing meals simmering on the stove. Stocking your pantry now will save you time all month long.
Winter Pantry Essentials
Proteins:
- Canned beans
- Lentils
- Frozen chicken
- Frozen ground turkey or beef
- Bone broth
Grains:
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Pasta
Veggies + Fruit (Long Shelf Life):
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Sweet potatoes
- Butternut or acorn squash
- Apples
- Citrus (clementines, oranges, lemons)
Flavors + Staples:
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Canned tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme)
- Cinnamon + cloves
Freezer Items:
- Frozen berries
- Frozen veggies
With these ingredients stocked, you can easily make:
- Cozy soups
- Simple sheet pan dinners
- Slow cooker meals
- Winter breakfast bowls
Step 5 — Refresh Your Evenings for the Winter Season
December nights arrive early. Instead of resisting the darkness, let it serve your home.
Create a Cozy Winter Evening Rhythm
- Dim the lights
- Turn on lamps with warm bulbs
- Brew a herbal tea or have a cup of warm cider or hot cocoa
- Put on soft instrumental music
- Do a 10-minute tidy before bed
- Read a book, devotional, or journal
These rituals help your nervous system settle after long and sometimes dreary December days.
Step 6 — Set a Simple December Homemaking Rhythm
A monthly rhythm anchors your home.
Weekly December Rhythm Example
- Monday: Laundry + reset bedrooms
- Tuesday: Kitchen day
- Wednesday: Bathrooms + quick tidy
- Thursday: Floors + dusting
- Friday: Fun: baking or cocoa night
- Saturday: Family activity or errands
- Sunday: Rest + slow dinner
Rhythms create peace, especially in chaotic seasons. This example makes sure the house is managed while prioritizing the heart and soul of the season with loved ones without sacrificing your rest and sanity in the process.
Step 7 — Prepare Your Heart for a Simpler Season
December is not meant to be an endless sprint. It’s a month that calls you into warmth, reflection, and slowness. December is when your heart longs for a deep appreciation of the holiday season which cumulates as the year comes to a close . A December reset helps you enter the season intentionally—with enough space to breathe and enough margin to enjoy what truly matters.
Let your home be:
- cozy
- slow
- warm
- gentle
- and ore than anything… enough
You and your family will feel the difference.
Final Thoughts on Stepping into a Softer and Slower December
As you move into this new month, remember that a December reset isn’t about creating the perfect holiday home — it’s about cultivating a space that feels like a refuge. A place where you and your family lands after long days, where memories happen naturally, and where simplicity makes room for what truly matters.
When you clear a countertop, light a winter candle, or choose to say no to an overcrowded calendar, you’re not just organizing your life — you’re gently shaping the emotional landscape of your home. You’re choosing presence over pressure, warmth over perfection, and peace over performance.
Let this season meet you exactly where you are.
Let your home glow softly in the early evenings.
Let your routines steady you.
Let your heart slow down enough to feel the beauty in the small moments — the simmering pot on the stove, the crackle of a candle, or the sound of your family settling in.
You don’t need some grand transformation to create a meaningful December.
You just need intention, rhythm, and the courage to keep things beautifully simple.
Here’s to a month that feels cozy, calm, deeply nourishing, and truly yours.
Life Made Wholesome 