Winter Maximalism

Everything glitters in winter. When I walk down my street in the frosty weather that almost always turns my nose bright red, I feel it most. Although the cold numbs my fingertips, I’m never rushing home. I take my time, walking slower and slower the closer I get, refusing to be pulled away from the magic of Christmastime in my small town. I would stay out there forever if I could. Technicolour fairy lights dance along the pine trees and the snow that lines every street crunches softly beneath my shoes. Eventually my mother would tug me inside by the arm, muttering something about catching a cold if I stayed out any longer.

Inside, the smell of gingerbread and hot chocolate settles into every fabric of the house, and the gentle crackle and warmth of the fireplace soothe the sting on my ears.

Everything glitters in winter, yet somewhere along the way something changed. My memories of an iridescent winter seem to have been left behind in childhood, recalled only in nostalgic conversations filled with the bittersweet refrain of wishing we could go back.

The main culprit for this loss of wonder is the rise of neutrals. Warm chocolate browns and gingerbread beiges suit the cosy winter aesthetic, but to me they fall flat. This bland palette appears at almost every other time of year: bronzed tans in summer, white linens in spring, copper cinnamon in autumn. If ever there’s a moment for something different, it’s winter.

The powdery layer of snow becomes the perfect backdrop for colour, a chance to choose something that stands out rather than blending into the rest of the neutral year. This is the moment to stop taking inspiration from trend cycles and the same beige influencers, and to reshape our lives into something more glamorous. The Snow Queen becomes the lady of the moment, the Sugar Plum Fairy her right hand, and the soft piano of The Nutcracker the new top Christmas song.

Because the truth is winter thrives on extravagance. Every tradition, every fairytale, every twinkling light, every buoyant song insists on a vibrant season. How can we ignore the vivid spirit of the cold months?

The aim in reviving our memories of an enchanted winter is to reimagine the colder season and turn it into a snow globe of our own. Let the snow be not an inconvenience but a magical sparkle, a delicate dusting over the ideal winter scene outdoors. And inside our snow globe home, let every room resemble a moment from The Nutcracker: metallic tinsel draped over every surface, lights and candles casting a warm, enchanting glow, and the familiar sound of family completing the winter tableau we’ve dreamt of since the golden days that now feel decades away.

Let this winter be your moment to defy the new neutral trends in favour of the kaleidoscope of possibilities the season offers. It’s time to tie up our bittersweet nostalgia with a neat bow and unwrap new memories of a radiant winter.

©Pinterest