10 Little Ways to Make Your Home Cozier This Fall

There comes a point every fall when staying home starts to sound better than going out. The sun is disappearing earlier, the couch is calling, and, suddenly, we're obsessed with candles again.

We don't need to redecorate the house to make it cozier for the coming season, either. Sometimes, it's the smallest things that make us the happiest to be home.

1. Light a Candle

Candle season has returned. Once the evenings turn darker and cooler, lighting one makes perfect sense.

Pick whatever smells like fall to you, whether that's apple, cinnamon, vanilla, cedar, or absolutely nothing at all. And keep a jar of those long fireplace matches nearby. 

Besides saving us from trying to wedge a regular match into a half-burned candle, they look rather nice sitting out for the season.

2. Bring Out the Twinkle Lights

Christmas doesn't get exclusive rights to fairy lights. A strand of warm twinkle lights around a window, bookshelf, or mantel can soften up a room as we're spending more evenings indoors.

Battery-operated strands also work in places without convenient outlets. The Christmas tree will join the party soon enough.

3. Bake Some Cookies

Fall evenings are well suited to turning on the oven and letting the kitchen smell good for a while.

A few worthy candidates include:

• Snickerdoodles: Soft cinnamon-sugar cookies practically built for fall

• Oatmeal Cookies: Add raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Pumpkin keeps them soft, while chocolate chips handle the important business

• Molasses Cookies: Warm spices and molasses give these a deeper fall flavor

• Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies: Because they don't need a seasonal excuse

Make your favorite recipe or use refrigerated dough. Warm cookies are warm cookies.

4. Get the Fluffy Slippers Out

Cold floors are less charming than the rest of the fall season. Pull the slippers out of wherever they spent the summer and give them a wash if the care instructions allow.

Thick socks work just as well. And, if you're feeling ambitious, you could even knit your own pair for the season. We'll come back to that in just a minute. 

5. Keep Hand Cream Within Reach

Cold weather and dry indoor air can be rough on our skin, so the fall is a great time to put your favorite hand cream somewhere you’ll remember to use it.

This is also an excuse to swap your summery scents for something richer. Two of our fall favorites are L'Occitane's Almond and Rituals' sweet-and-spicy Ayurveda.

Put one beside the sofa or on the nightstand.

6. Give the Couch Its Fall Wardrobe

It's time for the throw blankets to return. Add one or two to the sofa, bring back a couple of soft pillows, and make your favorite spot a little cozier for the colder months.

There's no need to buy a new collection, either.  The blanket that's been hiding in the closet since May will do just fine.

7. Make Something That Simmers

Not every cozy fall night needs to smell like a candle.

Sometimes, dinner can take care of that:

• Soup: Try tomato, butternut squash, or chicken noodle with some crusty bread

• Stew: Beef, chicken, or vegetables can bubble away for a while

• Chili: Keep it classic, make it vegetarian, or bring out the slow cooker

• Curry: Try chicken, chickpeas, or vegetables

• Pasta Sauce: Let a pot of tomato sauce simmer while we get on with the evening

Pick something that can cook for a while that doesn’t require your constant attention.

8. Find Something to Do With Your Hands

Not every night on the couch needs to be a night of scrolling. Pull out something you can work on while you watch television or listen to music:

• Knitting

• Crocheting

• Coloring

• A puzzle

• Embroidery or cross-stitch

• A deck of cards

And remember those homemade socks from earlier? This could be the fall when you finally knit them.

9. Pick the Movie Before You Sit Down

A movie night sounds relaxing until you’ve spent half of it browsing. Hallmark has its Fall Into Love movies, while Netflix has plenty of cozy-season favorites to choose from, too.

Pick something before the blankets come out and everyone gets comfortable. Then, all you have to do is press play.

10. Make Something Warm to Drink

Once you’ve claimed the couch and picked the movie, you’ll need something warm within reach.

Fall has a great drinks menu:

• Hot Chocolate: Warm milk with cocoa powder, sugar, and a little vanilla

• Mocha Coffee: Add cocoa powder and milk to hot coffee

• Hot Apple Cider: Warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves

• Mulled Wine: Gently warm red wine with spices and citrus

Pick a favorite mug and head back to the couch.

Staying In Sounds Pretty Good

We don't need to transform the entire house for fall.

Light the candle. Put on the slippers. Let something simmer while the cookies bake, then grab a blanket and whatever you’re drinking.

Suddenly, staying home doesn't sound such a bad backup plan.

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