I'll admit that winter has not always been my favourite season. It's colder, the days are shorter, and it's easy to find yourself counting down until spring arrives.

But over the last few years, I've started looking at winter a little differently.

Maybe it's because life seems busier than ever. There's always another job to do, another appointment in the diary or another message waiting to be answered. Winter quietly reminds us that it's okay to slow the pace. To stay home. To light a candle. To enjoy a warm drink without feeling like we should be somewhere else.

I've realised that creating a cosy home isn't about having a perfectly styled house. It's about creating little moments that make you smile when you walk through the door.

Here are six simple ways to embrace winter this year:

1. How Can You Create a Cosy Corner at Home?

Every home has one chair that seems to call your name.

It might be beside a window where the afternoon sun streams in or tucked into a quiet corner of the lounge room.

Add a soft throw rug, a comfortable cushion and somewhere to rest your cuppa, and suddenly you've created a place that invites you to slow down for twenty minutes with a good book or magazine.

Cosiness isn't created by spending more—it's created by making space to enjoy what you already have.

2. What's the Best Hot Drink for a Cold Winter's Day?

Coffee. Tea. Hot chocolate. Chai.

Whatever your favourite is, winter is the perfect excuse to slow down long enough to actually enjoy it.

Pull out the mugs you love but don't use often. Add a marshmallow to your hot chocolate or a biscuit beside your afternoon tea. Those tiny rituals have a wonderful way of making ordinary days feel special.

3. What's an Easy Meal That Makes Winter Feel Cosy?

Nothing says comfort quite like a pot of homemade chicken soup.

The beautiful thing about soup isn't just how delicious it tastes—it's how it fills the whole house with warmth while it's cooking.

It's simple, nourishing, economical and often tastes even better the next day. Plus, my 7-year-old daughter gives it a double thumbs up!

Here is my Warming Chicken Soup recipe:

Ingredients:

500-700g chicken breast

2L liquid chicken stock

2 cloves crushed garlic

1-2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 head broccoli

1/3-1/2 cauliflower

2 corn cobs

2 hands full of beans

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

Salt, Pepper, Thyme, Paprika

2 whisked eggs

Bread to serve

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into 3-4cm chunks. Place into stock pot with liquid stock. Flavour with garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika.
2. Bring to boil and then simmer for 1 hour.
3. Chop up your favourite soup vegetables (feel free to change my favourites to whatever you have available in the fridge or pantry).
4. Before you add the vegetables, use a slotted spoon, skimmer or tongs to remove the chicken from the stockpot. Carefully using forks shred the chicken and return it to the stockpot.
5. Add the vegetables and bring it gently back to a simmer. We like our vegetables quite crunchy, so I only cook for a few minutes.
6. Taste and season a little more if needed.
7. Pour the whisked eggs into the simmering soup and stir gently as the eggs cook. The eggs become like fine noodles in the soup if they don't get stirred to vigorously.
8. Serve with a slice of sourdough bread, crusty roll or garlic bread.

I hope you love our family favourite like we do!

4. Why Is Journalling Good for Your Wellbeing?

Many of us spend so much time looking after everyone else that we rarely stop to ask ourselves how we're actually feeling.

Journalling doesn't have to be pages of beautifully written thoughts.

Some days it's simply writing down what made you smile.

Some days it's making a list for tomorrow.

Some days it's recording a family memory you never want to forget.

There isn't a right or wrong way to do it—only your way.

5. How Can You Make Family Game Nights Fun Again?

Some of the best evenings don't involve elaborate plans.

Gather around the dining table, pull out an old favourite board game, create a trivia challenge, team up with charades and let everyone forget about their phones for a little while.

You'll probably laugh more than you expected, and you might even start a new family tradition.

6. Why Does Lighting a Candle Make a Home Feel So Cosy?

There's a reason we naturally reach for candlelight during winter.

The gentle flickering glow softens a room, the fragrance is both comforting and uplifting and, almost without noticing, your home begins to feel calm.

Lighting a candle at the end of the day can become a lovely little ritual—a signal that work is finished, dinner is over and it's time to simply enjoy being home.

Winter Doesn't Have to Be Something We Endure

Perhaps that's the real secret to enjoying winter.

Not waiting for spring, but finding little moments to appreciate the season we're in.

A warm drink.

A cosy space.

A warming homemade meal.

Fun evenings with family and friends.

A flickering candle.

None of them are particularly grand, but together they create a home that feels welcoming, comforting and lived in.

And perhaps that's what cosiness has always been about.

Stay warm and cosy my friends,