Keep the cold at bay!

Driving around my neighbourhood after the holidays feels as if I'm watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and things have just turned sour, just like in the movie. The homes are darker and after the bright lights of the holiday, they even seem gloomy...as though they are scowling at the return to the blandness of deep winter. Often, the welcoming wreaths are discarded, flood lights burnt out, and the lack of colour and lights jars the soul. It need not be this way, however! Simply replacing your evergreen wreath with one made of pinecones, boxwood, faux snowballs or snowflakes adds a wintry greeting, right where it counts. Now is the time to replace burnt out lightbulbs in your exterior fixtures, and don't forget to turn them on! Simply adding wireless lanterns to your entry also kicks up the curb appeal, especially when placed on a bench, in window boxes, or hooked onto planter hangers. We need not wait until summer to tend to our home's exterior. Oh, and don't forget to take down those Christmas lights in due time! Nothing looks as unseasonal as coloured lights on the eaves at Easter, or a dead Christmas wreath greeting your guests!!

Spruce up your front porch, place wooden logs in an old milk crate or basket, and bring out your wintry paraphernalia: old skis, sleds, skates...set the stage for a wintertime retreat. It can be a long, old winter - no need to deny it - instead, celebrate it! It's like anything...if you have to endure it, you (and your home) might as well look good doing it!!