The winter holidays
– and let’s see, there are quite a number of them, from Hanukkah
and Christmas to Kwanzaa, New Year’s to Valentine’s, and Solstice
to Super Bowl – are times for family gatherings and
memory-making.
The winter holidays – and let’s see, there are quite a number of them, from Hanukkah and Christmas to Kwanzaa, New Year’s to Valentine’s, and Solstice to Super Bowl – are times for family gatherings and memory-making. What other season imbues our homes with such an extraordinary layering of sensory ingredients – from the aroma of fresh pine to the taste of bubbling champagne to the reassuring sound of “Auld Lang Syne”?
Each and every time we have cause for celebration, we need to make the most of it. This doesn’t necessarily mean elaborate decorating, extravagant foods and beverage and indulging to excess, but it does mean making each experience of the holidays pleasurable and exciting to all five senses. For once you do that, you will have created a gathering full of memories and meaning for your family, friends and loved ones.
Here are some ways we can enhance our sensory experiences when we celebrate the New Year, plan for our Valentine’s events or just enjoy the wintry days spent indoors in front of the hearth, book in hand and dog at our side, or however it is you enjoy spending a relaxing day at home.
• Sight: We decorate for the holidays and make seasonal changes for the visual delight it gives us. How much or how little you decorate is up to you, but what is important is some visual cue that this is indeed a special time of year. Go for one pleasing vignette or a whole house transformed. For New Year’s, I love an elaborate tabletop setting – a buffet stacked with sparkling silver mint julep cups, and an array of silver flatware.
Other ideas: lots of candles, both votives and tapers in an assortment of holders (Moroccan tea glasses, pedestal holders and candelabra); an oversized silver punch bowl filled with ice and bottles; a collection of colorful champagne flutes and flowers; tightly packed, deep red roses in vintage trophy cups.
But tabletops aren’t the only places to add wintry glamour. Fold a new throw over the back of the sofa and plump it up with new, colorful pillows. Remake your bed with a cheery duvet cover and layer a brightly patterned area rug over your carpet. Add touches of rich, jewel-toned color throughout your house to offset the winter blues.
• Sound: The quiet after Christmas is deafening. I really start to miss those carols, traditional songs and chants, recordings by Elvis and Bing, and the constant bell ringing of the Salvation Army.
I don’t want the music to stop so I reorganize my CD collection by putting all the “so-and-so sings Christmas” to the back of the stack while bringing the American songbook singers – Steve Tyrell, Diana Krall, Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, Boz Scaggs – front and center.
For others, the music is replaced with the sound of football, NPR talk or the ever-pleasant crunch of snow while taking wintry walks.
• Smell: If you’re not the type to bake fragrant cookies or bread, stir together a coconut cake or whip up a souffle, you can still infuse your home with warm, comforting smells by simply setting a pan of spiced cider over low simmer on your stove or heating up a soup or stew.
You can also burn a woodland candle, scatter scented pinecones in baskets around the house, or build a fragrant fire using hickory, cherry or ash logs or with fruitwood chips available at garden centers and home stores.
And anyone can appreciate the welcoming smell of hot cocoa with a twist of cinnamon when stepping in from the cold.
• Taste: When you smell something, you want to sample! Wintry tastes are varied – sweet and salty, savory or spicy. There’s a reason we’re invited to indulge in more treats during the season; they provide those taste elements we’ve come to associate with winter weather, a houseful of family or guests, or simply enjoyed while curled up and watching your favorite movie.
Salty snack mixes, chocolate liquors, sweet clementines, sparkling punch, mulled wine, nutty morsels, crispy crackers, savory stews and breads and luscious cheeses are all part of the winter taste experience.
• Touch: The season should be appreciated for all the tactile pleasure it imparts. Waxy candles, plush toys, cold snow, soft wool and rough firewood are all part of winter. As is holding onto a mittened hand, helping a child safely light a candle or wrapping a plush blanket around your legs.
Pets are also part of the seasonal experience for me. My Westies – Winnie, Lola and Teddy – know that the quiet time of wintry evenings is when they have the best chance of securing a lap and the absent-minded stroking that accompanies that feat.
Simply catering to and indulging each of the five senses, you will have created a memorable occasion. And while sensory overload can be fun, it can also take its toll on our resources – physical and mental, as well as with the pocketbook. Remember, less can be more when the overall holiday experience is so rich and satisfying.
