Harry watches through the screen door.

I may have mentioned that I’m not into Christmas, but I am saddened in early January to see decorations taken down and neighborhoods left colorless, even joyless, a condition lasting until the daffodils finally do their thing.

My solution, which I wish more people adopted, is to decorate specifically for winter and leave the decorations up until sometime in March. Note that my decorations aren’t Christmasy – almost no red in sight – so they don’t scream “Take me down!” as soon as that holiday is over.

A close-up of the pots next to my front door. In the foreground is a “Goshiki” Osmanthus.

But if your decorations are classic Christmas colors, maybe they could be updated with some items that don’t scream Christmas. For my house and garden, the solution is the use of blue, with non-Christmasy shades of green.

Note the Joe Pye Weed still standing? The stalks have since been flattened by our recent snow. The Juniper parts that I use on pots stay green until sometime in February, when I replace them.

The only red touches are these fake holly berries. The real boxwood snippets stay green a long time, too, and small good.

The color scheme in my back yard is very earthy – no blues or mint greens.  Since painting the grass-filled pots a tomato red, the only winter embellishment I add is some burnt-red branches and balls.

The dog sculpture, a gift from the ’70s, I’ve left a natural cement color.

How do YOU decorate for winter?

‘February Gold’ and other daffodils blooming with ‘Ogon’ spirea in March of 2021 in my front yard.

It’s still a long time before these cheerful daffodils lift my spirits so I’m looking for more ways to decorate for winter. Any suggestions?