Missing The Ambient Light Of Your Christmas Tree? How To Bring Back The Cozy Vibes

January is a mixed blessing. You are glad to be done with Hallmark movies, but also sad that your self-imposed ban on "Home Alone" has begun. Yes, you've emptied your home of loud relatives and are done playing host, but taking down the holiday decorations can leave your home feeling empty in a bad way. The mantel looks naked, the table is bare, and you no longer sit each evening by the lovely glow of twinkle lights. Where did that cozy feeling go?

There are people who leave some string lights up year-round, transferring them from the Christmas tree to the indoor ficus. They can also make an excellent bedroom nightlight when draped around a bunk bed or curtain rod. But if you believe all forms of Christmas should be left in December (including music — we're looking at you, Mariah Carey), then there are ways to recreate the ambient light you are sorely missing. Column floor lamps, Moroccan lanterns, flameless candles, puck lights, rope lights, and even smart lighting can recreate the glow of Christmas lights ... minus the Christmas. 

One of the best ways to get gorgeous party-ready lighting is with Moroccan lanterns. Like Christmas lights, they work outdoors or indoors, but with a decidedly more summery feel. The colorful, decorative glass diffuses the light, leaving beautiful patterns on your walls, ceilings, and floors. This vintage-style amber lantern from Decorkey will add beauty to your home, even when not in use. 

Meanwhile, a column floor lamp from Chiphy offers 5 feet of light, giving you a cozy glow on a Christmas tree scale. Three levels of brightness are diffused through a papery shade, taking you from task lighting to mood lighting with a single command. Candles are a holiday lighting option that's acceptable year-round. Homemory amber flickering flameless candles recreate the glow of a fire without the added risk. Place them all over your room for a beautiful glow, whether you are expecting guests or just curled up alone with a good book.  

For a DIY lighting hack that will upscale your whole house while also adding a warm ambiance, try puck lights. These small, portable lights often come with sticky backing and don't require installation. Place them under your kitchen cabinets to recreate the glow of the lighted garland you removed from your countertops. You can place them on a mantel to backlight a favorite object, or tuck them away in the corner behind an indoor plant. The possibilities with puck lights are truly endless.

Fortunately, you may already have everything you need to create a cozy atmosphere year-round. If you have smart lighting in your home, it's as simple as a voice command. Dimmable or color-changing smart bulbs can turn from bright light to soft light or blue light to gold in an instant. In fact, many holiday string lights have gone from incandescent to LED, and can be programmed to change color. If you decorated with those types of lights for the holidays, you could leave them up all year — changing the white, twinkling lights to pink for Valentine's Day, blue for Independence Day, orange for Halloween, and to a soft golden color for the rest of the year. 

LED light strips or ropes are one of the best ways to emulate string lights without the tree. These Tenmire Smart LED light strips have up to 100 feet of lights that you can stick to any surface of your home. You can change the color and brightness of the lights to match your mood or time of day. Come December (or early November, if you can't wait), you can bring Mariah Carey out of purgatory and set the lights to music for an amazing Christmas light display.