Now that Christmas is over and you have taken down your Christmas decor, does it feel like your home is not as cozy and comforting as it was?
Yes, there is likely more empty space in your home where Christmas decor was, but there might also be a feeling of warmth that is missing.
There are several reasons why this may be the case. 
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Light Bulb Color
Did you know that light bulbs come in different colors?
Most manufacturers will label their light bulb boxes with terms like warm white, soft white, cool white, or daylight.
Warm white has a more yellow color and cool white has a more blue color.
What those terms attempt to simplify is the color temperature of the light from those bulbs, which is measured in a unit named Kelvin (shortened to the letter k).
Most light bulbs range between 2000k - 6500k.
Around 2700k is considered warm white.
Around 3000k is considered soft white.
Around 4000k is considered cool white.
Around 5000k is considered daylight.
For reference, candlelight is around 2000k.
Most Christmas lights are a warm white color, which is a similar color temperature to candlelight.
Candlelight tends to be relaxing and calming, giving a home a cozy feel.
Now let me get to my point.....what color are your light bulbs?
Most interior designers agree that all light bulbs in a home should be around 2700-3000k to give your home a warm and cozy feeling (your garage can be daylight since it is purely a utilitarian space that is often open to the outside).
If the light bulbs in your home are not in the 2700k - 3000k range, consider switching them for at least a week to see how you like it.
Much of the lighting in a commercial office or hospital is around 4000k to 5000k, which can feel very sterile.
You don't want your home to feel like either of those spaces - you want your home to feel comforting.
Light Location
Interior designers are usually not fans of overhead lights.
A single overhead light source in the middle of the ceiling of a room tends to create unflattering shadows, can make a room feel one dimensional, and can cause eye strain due to glare.
Christmas trees and garlands are covered in lights closer to eye level in a room and create uneven illumination, which is more flattering and more interesting.
Overhead lights are helpful for when you are cleaning your room so you can see what needs to be cleaned, however consider turning off the overhead light and using lamps instead to make your home feel more warm and welcoming.
Lamps can direct light towards the task at hand, which can help focus attention.
Instead of getting a basic and boring utilitarian lamp, consider getting one that either complements your color scheme (such as a lamp in fun color) or one that looks especially beautiful to add to the aesthetic of your room (such as a lamp with a gorgeous vase-like detailing).
If there is no place to put a lamp in a room, such as in a hallway or dining room, consider using wall sconces instead to lower the light level in the room.
Exterior Lighting
Winter months have less daylight, so illuminating the exterior of your home is very important.
Outside Christmas lights add warmth & joy to a home, and you might be missing that once you take them down.
In order to bring back that warm glow, add exterior lighting to your home.
Just like interior lights, warm white lights will give you a cozy feeling.
Don't just add one light - add many different light sources & types for variety, security, and better aesthetics.
You might choose to have lights that are on continually or lights that are motion activated.
Hard wired lights are best for ensuring that the light works at full strength continually throughout the night, however solar lights are best for their ease of adding light to areas without power, ease of installation, and they do not increase your electric bill.
At my house, I have 6 plug in uplights all along the front exterior of my home that are on a "dusk to dawn" sensor and automatically turn on when it gets dark outside and turn off when it gets light outside. Dusk to dawn light are especially nice since sunset and sunrise changes throughout the year. These lights illuminate the brick of my home and create interesting shadows. These lights not only make my home look great from the street, but they also add light to my front walkway.
My house came with a standard porch light near the front door. I replaced the basic light switch with a light timer switch so the light automatically turns on and off at a certain time.
I also have solar uplights on the trees in my front yard - 2 per tree. Each uplight is in front of the tree, however one to the left and the other to the right. Using just one uplight makes a tree feel a bit one dimensional, however using 2 or 3 uplights per tree gives it more dimension and more light.
For my outside trash can area, I have a very large solar light mounted over the trash cans (around 8 foot high) that is continually on low, however turns to high when the motion sensor is activated. This not only helps when I need to take out the trash, but it also deters critters in that area.
My driveway is longer than typical and has 3 motion sensor lights in 3 different areas along the driveway. In addition to illuminating my driveway when I come home & leave home, it also provides a bit of security since I can see which cars are coming up my driveway and the lights might encourage people who don't belong to leave.
Additionally, my driveway has lights on the ground outlining the driveway border. These lights give a bit more light to keep drivers from veering off the driveway and also look nice.
The final exterior light on the front of my home is on the garage. It is a hard wired security light and is very bright. The light is off until the motion sensor is activated. It is very good at illuminating the cars in my driveway when getting in or out of the car or unloading items. I feel that it also provides a bit of extra security.
