Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

How to plan a cozy family night

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In any given year, January can be a tough time with dark nights and dreary weather. Throw in a global pandemic that has restricted many of our normal activities, and, well, you have the perfect recipe for a gloomy month. Instead, let’s embrace what my husband calls “an attitude of gratitude.”

My kids know I don’t like them to complain about being bored. Rather I want them to enjoy our space, their toys, and each other. Likewise, I want to see our extra time at home this winter while we’re staying warm and avoiding the coronavirus as time to unwind, take care of ourselves, and reconnect with one another without some of the usual daily pressures.

This winter isn’t a normal winter, but that’s how seasons work. There are rhythms even when circumstances change. I remind myself of this often during these short days that have me longing for summer.

“God has made each season beautiful and appropriate in its own time. Yes, spring, summer, fall, and winter repeat, but each winter looks different than the one before because God is transforming me. I’m not the same this year as I was as a child or even just last year. There can be similarities and traditions from one year to the next, but the details change from one season to the next, from one year to the next. That’s both wonderful and terrifying. …

Nothing in this life stays the same. That almost seems like a threat, but really it’s a promise too. Traditions anchor us, but our God won’t leave us where we were in the winter by the time springs starts blooming new life.”

– From my book “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories of Gathering & Nourishing People”

Let’s look at a few ways to plan the ultimate cozy night in – with your family, whoever else lives under your roof, who you’re quarantining with, or a larger social circle once the pandemic passes.

Curl up with a good book

Okay, so, I miss having a fire place, but y’all know I always want a good book!

Apparently when speaking of happiness, relaxation, and self-care, some people use the Danish word ‘hygge’ as it encapsulates those feelings and activities. I associate comfort with being snuggled up the couch we love, wrapped in a soft blanket, a kid cuddled in close, and a book that I can’t put down.

I tend to prefer actual books, but Kindles and other devices sure are handy. Take a look at Troypoint for some of the best sites to download books or stream your favorite shows, movies, or music. Of course, if you’re looking for some recommended reads, I’ve got y’all covered there too.

Order a takeout

My mother-in-law has been recovering from a quadruple bypass heart surgery at our house for the past couple of weeks. That’s added some extra logistic details to our life, but it’s also prompted our great community of friends to feed us! I’ve barely cooked this month, which has been nice. I enjoy cooking, but a break has been welcomed for my shrinking mental capacity. Plus we just learned Murray Eats delivers food from restaurants to our porch. We live seven miles from town, so we didn’t think we could have pizza – much less Cracker Barrel – delivered to us.

Yes, COVID-19 has interrupted eating out plans, but so many of our local restaurants have upped their carry-out game. So take a break, and order dinner in. Perhaps even enjoy it on some paper plates!

When our friends are feeding us, I will get back to recruiting my oldest daughter to help me in the kitchen. I do cherish that time together making memories and meals.

Have a sleepover

We don’t really do sleepovers outside our house for various reasons that have nothing to do with a cozy night in. With Peggy recovering from her open heart surgery here, we’ve had to play musical bedrooms. Cate moved to Rachel’s room and Rachel has a spare twin mattress in our back living room. Seeing Rachel set up with her stuffed animals, favorite blankets, and unicorn sleep mask reminds me of how cozy and fun it can be for kids to vary their sleeping situations.

Dig out some fairy lights, sweet and salty snacks, and tell your kids all about your own sleepover experiences – or at least the parts you want them to know about!

Play board games

Y’all know we love games around here! We’ve been playing a lot of Monopoly Junior and Othello recently, but ask me next week and we’re likely to have other boxes sitting on our dining room table. Of course, I have a list of all our family favorites, if you’re looking for some at-home entertainment and competition.

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This is the fourth in a series about why hospitality matters in every season. (October. November. December.) And, yes, hospitality happens right in your home with your people. Learn more about this and get some free resources on the “Bringing Home More than Groceries” page.

Love Your Home Once Again

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Life certainly doesn’t look like it did a year ago, thanks to the global coronavirus pandemic that interrupted our lives. So many people have spent more time at their homes – working from home, schooling kids at home, distancing themselves from crowds. Of course, this has come with much adjustment in routines, logistics, and even our spaces. Improving our home has been a good day to navigate our increased time here.

While spending more time at home, we have been made adjustments to our space and noticed possible improvements. Yes, you can use even this weird season of social distancing to fall in love with your home all over again. Here are some ways to do that:

Renovated Your Spaces

Conducting home renovations is important to make your space feel like home. Many people have the time to do this, so this is one way to focus on moving forward in your home, even when so much of the world is uncertain.

We haven’t done any major renovations, but my teenager did paint her little sister’s room. She may not have agreed to it had she known bright pink doesn’t easily cover mint green! We’ve rearranged closets and bedrooms as we make our spaces function better for all the extra time we’ve spent here.

Take Pride in Where You Live

Taking pride in where you live is vital, especially when you’re truly living in your home like we have been. I discovered how easy it is the clean my hard floors with the Shark VacMop, ordered more forks and spoons because we were eating so many meals at home, and ordered cleaning and household supplies online.

Honestly, I like a clean house, but I also know we live here, so taking pride for me involves some daily tasks to contain the clutter and crumbs. Of course, there are bigger projects, such as using window cleaning services, in order to really spruce up your views.

Speaking of views, I truly have appreciated country living as we’ve socially distanced ourselves from crowds of people. The wide-open spaces have been good for my soul, especially in the spring, summer, and fall. I’ve loved noticing how natural colors change. And we’ve all needed the extra space to safely roam.

Plant a Garden

We actually planted our first garden! It was small and barely successful, but I was so glad the spring and summer days at home helped me accomplish something I’d wanted to try. We planted zucchini, tomato, and pepper seeds in planters. Then once the plants grew, we transferred the zucchini and tomato plants to the ground. They grew well and produced, but then the deer ate all the tomato plants – produce and all! We got several zucchini and sweet pepper to enjoy. And we came away with some better plans for this year.

Making summertime fun is always important, especially during the pandemic when traveling may not happen as much. Gardening is one way to do this. Plus it improves and helps you appreciate where you live and the natural seasons.

How have you found yourself loving your home and property during these social-distancing days?

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I’ve written some other posts about social distancing that may encourage you.

The Advent of Hope

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I really love Christmastime. Of course, the gatherings and traditions will look different this year, as so much has in 2020. But in our rhythm of life, this is where we are again. There’s something comforting about that. 

Even in the rhythm, I don’t do advent the same way every year. Sometimes we’ve read through “The Jesus Storybook” as a family, at least most nights. Sometimes I work through a study on my own. And some years, like this one, I don’t have an actual plan. I just soak up the goodness through a devotion I read sporadically, conversations I get to have with friends, and a slower pace that lets my mind regroup. 

I was listening to author Tsh Oxenreider on Annie Downs’ That Sounds Fun podcast today and she reminded me of some important things: 

Advent is the season to remember things in our world are not as they should be, which is why Jesus had to come. We are waiting for him to come again, and this is a rhythm in life that recognizes that expectation. All of the tensions and brokenness in life isn’t all there is; we have hope.

We have hope even though it took the kids and me three days to decorate the tree. After we cut it down Saturday, I realized we didn’t have any working lights. So when we were out later that evening I bought two strands of white lights. Turns out I needed another strand, which I got the next day. So yesterday we finally unboxed some ornamented and added them to the branches. 

We have hope even when we have to sacrifice traditions for the well-being of our community. We have hope when plans get shuffled yet again. We have hope when we are pulled in different directions and live in a tension that exists all around us, especially these days when politics and opinions divide.

Even though we recognize things aren’t as they should and could be, we can still find goodness. We can show grace to ourselves and to others. We can do as much or as little of advent in whatever ways seem right to us. That’s the pep talk I’m giving to myself these days. 

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“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas” is the advent devotional I’m reading sporadically this season. I added it to a shopping list with other good resources. Yes, I know, it’s Dec. 8, more than a week into advent, but, really, you can still dive into these good words whenever you want.