Learn the art of staying in this holiday season. Transform your home into a sensory retreat — with cozy textures, gentle lighting, and design ideas that bring peace to the holiday rush. Turn simple family activities into meaningful holiday traditions that last. 

Why A Calm Holiday Home Matters

You’ve spent the last couple of months joyfully anticipating the magic of the holiday season with your family. 

Then it actually arrives. 

Now you're bustling between holiday dinners, parties, school events, shopping for gifts, and maintaining the long list of all your other normal to-do’s. The calendar is maxed out— and so are you. 

You and your family are enduring sensory overload with crowded stores, a rushed schedule, and more and more holiday excitement by the day. 

Yet, you love it all, and that’s why you do it—but the extra festivities can burn out even the most well-intentioned and joyful parents in a holiday hurry. 

It’s important to counter this often chaotic cadence of the season by curating a home environment that anchors you all. A sensory-rich, restorative retreat where you can all rest, connect, and cultivate quiet traditions during your evenings in. 

More important than checking off all of the gifts on your Christmas list is your family’s well-being. Creating a consistent, sensory-rich home environment provides your child with cues that are predictable and bring feelings of safety and connection. Calm spaces in your home improve your family’s emotional regulation as a whole. Setting a slower pace gently encourages connection and presence. 

This holiday season– make what your home feels like be the reason the memories you make last their lifetimes. Intentionally design your home and choose mindful activities to create some holiday magic. 

Having More With Less: Simple Ways to Reduce Holiday Clutter

If your mind is cluttered, it’s likely your home represents that overload. The physical clutter contributes to your increasing feelings of overwhelm… and so the snowball continues down the mountain. 

It’s tempting to continue to add holiday decor in an attempt to make things “cheery”--- but the number one priority in creating a dreamy holiday atmosphere at home is to declutter. 

Less is more. Consider these tips: 

• Curate your decorations rather than piling them on. 

• Rotate your children' s toys– store all non-seasonal toys and have fewer out and available for play. 

• Create designated “landing zones” for mail, toys, crafts, etc. to keep them from filling up every surface in the house. 

• Designate 10-15 minutes each evening to “family tidy-up time”. Assign each family member an area or age-appropriate task to complete before settling in to wind down. Listen to holiday music and use this as an opportunity to bond with one another. 

By having less in your home, you make space for what matters most— family comfort, connection, and rest. 

Curating a Cozy, Calm Holiday Home Through Sensory Design

Now that you’ve focused on removing or organizing all the extra— it’s important to be intentional about what remains. Our environment has a huge impact on our emotions, thoughts, and behavior. When the world outside is filled with hustle and bustle during the holidays, let your home whisper rest and ease. 

Consider these multisensory approaches to making your home feel like a warm embrace. 

Lighting and Color: Setting the Emotional Temperature 

Bathe your home in hues and light that brings calm to the senses. Your environment should work in alignment with your family’s natural responses to create cozy evenings that support healthy circadian rhythms. 

Color:

Choose a simple color palate that features neutrals and warm tones. Greens and blues are good choices that bring feelings of peace, gentleness, and comfort. 

Be sure to design your cozy spaces with subtle contrast to allow an environment that is gentle for your eyes. If an area with stark contrast requires your pupils to dilate and expand frequently, it can cause fatigue and even headaches. 

Type of Lighting:

Use warm red/amber toned bulbs. This type of light stimulates the production of the hormone “melatonin”. Melatonin is your nervous system’s cue to relax and prepare for dreams. 

Direction of Lighting:

Layered lighting creates an instant sense of peace. Dim overhead lights. Use perimeter lighting at lower levels to bring a gentle, cocoon-like feel. Use the magic of your softly glowing Christmas tree, dimmable lamps, and candles to enchant your evenings. 

Textures: Creating Comfort You Can Feel 

Including multiple textures in your home adds character and richness. Add touchable pillow and throw layers to your lounging space in flannel, knit, and velvet. These warm, cozy textures will leave you and your family feeling grounded and safe. Our soft, mid-century inspired flannel pajamas are a staple for your child’s winter snuggle sessions. 

Scent + Sound: The Icing on Top for Your Holiday Home Sensory Retreat

Aim for ambient scents that aren’t overpowering. Some calming holiday scents include pine, vanilla, and orange-clove. Others that are known for their stress-relieving effects include frankincense, lavender, roman chamomile, and clary sage. 

Bathtime is a great opportunity to infuse some calming aromas. Our bath bombs are gently scented to create a tub-time retreat for your child. Candles and essential oils are another easy way to make it smell like the holidays. 

If you’re feeling particularly inspired— boil orange peels, cranberries, and cinnamon in some water on the stove. This will have your home smelling like a Christmas dream. 

Include some soft background sounds. Fill your home with gentle acoustic playlists, quiet holiday instrumentals, or the sound of a crackling fireplace. 

Every intentional choice to add a sensory-rich element to your home will create a family-night-in you’ll want to melt into. 

Decreasing Screen Time: Opening Space for Presence

Our technology and screens are not inherently bad, but they can distract our attention from those we are closest to. 

The holiday season is the perfect time to focus on what matters most— intentional time with family. Retreat from the outside noise and bright lights of your devices. Reducing your family’s screen time will bring you closer together, and help you unwind during the cozy winter evenings. 

The blue and white light from screens suppresses melatonin production and increases our energy. Turning off screens 1-2 hours before bedtime will improve the health of your family’s circadian rhythms. 

Turning off screens will also direct your family’s attention to— each other. It allows time to complete your cozy evening routine, and engage in family Christmas activities that will become tradition.

Reduce screen time in your home to encourage more presence, connection, and synchronicity in your family’s evenings. 

The Power of Family Connection: Creating Heartfelt Holiday Traditions at Home

The holidays may be the best time of the year to cultivate family traditions.

Your holiday traditions create emotional security. They create a sense of identity and belonging. They add rhythm and joyful expectation to the season. Year after year you’ll grow your family’s collection of shared memories as warm and comforting as a cup of cocoa.

Creating family traditions does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as sharing an activity during your family-night-in. Here at the Bath & Pajama Society, we value ritual and tradition. Below are some of our favorite ideas for turning simple things into Christmas activities for the family that you’ll all look forward to. 

Begin a Family Holiday Read-Aloud Book

What better way to relax than over a shared story? 

Soft-voices, warm blankets, and a holiday tale create a dreamy evening of comfort and snuggles. It opens the door for meaningful conversations with the ones you love most. You’ll learn more about yourself and your family by reflecting on a cherished story with one another. 

Ideas for choosing a holiday read-aloud:

• Picture books for younger children.

• A classic winter tale or something magical.

• A chapter book you read together over the month.

Reading a chapter book aloud to your kids throughout the Christmas season will give them a shared family experience to look forward to in the evenings. It will anchor them into a point of connection at home and have them excited to find out what happens in the next night’s reading. Make it extra special with a new pair of cozy pajamas and a cup of hot cocoa. 

You know we won’t pass on an opportunity to share some literature. Here are some holiday chapter book read-aloud suggestions: 

“The Willows at Christmas” by William Horwood

“The Christmas Mystery” by Jostein Gaarder 

“The True Gift” by Patricia MacLachlan

“Nancy & Plum” by Betty MacDonald

“The Birds’ Christmas Carol” by Kate Douglas Wiggin

“The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street” by Karina Yan Glaser

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig

Game Night: Simple Fun That Brings Everyone Back Together

Sharing in a family game supports connection and teamwork. Make game-night a part of your holiday rhythm and fill your home with laughter. 

If your children are older, cooperative games are a great choice. This type of game encourages your family to work together to achieve a common goal and will increase the feelings of connection in your home. 

For younger children, memory or matching games are a great way to connect over a brain-enriching activity in the evening. Our bath-bombs include a memory game that ties in geography and multiple languages. 

Homemade Holiday Decorations: Creativity as Calm

Creating together can bring untold magic. Working on a craft project focuses our attention, slows us down, allows us time to discover new ideas and see them come to life. Slow minds and hearts pouring over something that can hang proudly in your home are ideal for regulated and connected evenings away from the holiday chaos outside.

Family Christmas Craft Ideas:

There are endless ideas for Christmas crafts to do with your children. We like these classics that will blend seamlessly with your cozy home’s aesthetic once they are completed. 

• Paper snowflakes

• Dried orange garlands

• Popcorn/cranberry garlands

• Homemade salt dough ornaments

• Pinecone decorations

• Hand-painted gift tags

• Hand-painted cards

• Paper chain garland (for added thoughtfulness, write down a gratitude inside of each link)
  
  

Holiday Baking: Cozy Aromas That Anchor the Season

Holiday baking— full of sensory-rich experience that sparks nostalgia and creates new memories. Fill your kitchen with dreamy warmth, smell, textures and tastes by baking something together on your cozy night in. 

Ideas for easy, family-friendly bakes:

• Sugar cookies
  

• Gingerbread
  

• Cinnamon rolls
  

• Simple quick breads
  

The point is not to bake award-winning goods—it’s to enjoy the company. 

Holiday Movie Night: Soft Lights, Warm Blankets, Slow Evenings

One of the coziest modern-day Christmas traditions is the family movie night. Choose one or two movies that your family loves to watch as a yearly tradition. 

Make popcorn and hot chocolate. Snuggle together in your cozy space. Enjoy a delightfully predictable holiday film. Setup a puzzle and put time into it gradually throughout the course of the day - come back to it between activities and mealtimes. 

Be together— it really is as simple as that sometimes. 

Getting Creative: Make Christmas Activities For Your Family Your Own

Your family is a unique treasure. Your holiday traditions should be too. Curate your own quiet traditions for your winter-evenings-in to fit your family’s personality. 

Here are some ideas to inspire your own holiday rituals: 

• Winter walks with thermoses of cocoa

• “Kindness advent” activities

• A nightly 5-minute family stretch or mindfulness moment

• Evening candle rituals

• Writing holiday letters to friends or grandparents

• Sharing “some holiday magic” everyone saw that day over dinner

• Counting down to Christmas with an advent calendar

• Keeping a family holiday journal—documenting your family’s notable moments from the most wonderful time of the year. 

The magic is not in the extravagance— but the intention and memories made.

Bringing It All Together: You’re Creating the Magic of the Season

It’s easy to get swept up in the holiday rush—but creating a calm, cozy space to truly soak in the season will mean far more to your kids than any last-minute gift ever could.

It’s important for yours and your family’s well-being to have a sensory-rich home that calms the senses and leaves you all at ease. You’ll feel connected over intentional family Christmas activities done at home. Take the ideas here that resonate with you to create a holiday season filled with enchanting evenings that will be remembered for many Christmases to come. 

After all— it’s the small meaningful moments that end up being the greatest gift. 

Thanks for dreaming with us,

The Bath & Pajama Society Team