By Leslie Linsley

Author of Christmas on Nantucket (Globe Pequot)

November 2025

Is Your House Holiday Ready?

When the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, we begin to turn inward. It’s the perfect time to tackle small, satisfying projects that make your home more welcoming. The season is about comfort, connection, and the simple joy of being home.

Does Your Home Respond to Your Needs?

As the light changes, so does how color behaves in your rooms. A freshly painted wall can be transformative. What needs fixing or replacing?  What small changes are possible? 

I have a little den that I call my winter room. It mostly goes unused in the summer. It’s  time to get it cold weather ready.  It’s a little, step-down room at the end of a hallway, designed to feel like the inside of a boat; small, intimate and cozy. It’s filled with personal things: favorite books, family photographs, nostalgic treasures. The wrap around sofa holds many pillows, one orange (I love this rich color), and another, wrapped with an heirloom Hermes scarf. The room provides the perfect place for an afternoon read. A corner wood burning fireplace was built with old bricks retrieved from a renovated ‘Sconset house. But I noticed wallpaper peeling, a window that should be replaced and the ceiling could use a coat of paint. 

Part of my work is reading public relations pieces that promote the latest home improvement products, and then imagining how to creatively use them in Nantucket homes. This morning, I perused the always dependable Benjamin Moore’s introduction to their 2026 paint colors. Paint is the ultimate home re-fresh, even if it’s just painting stair risers, molding, or the front door. Choosing the right color can be difficult. Start with how the room is used.

Design a cozy corner that’s peaceful and personal with built-ins or a bookshelf that wraps around 3 walls. Benjamin Moore’s ‘Color of the Year’ is  Silhouette, a deep, muted brown with charcoal and violet undertones that instantly creates an enveloping atmosphere. 

For a room you want to stay neutral, the perfect enhancement color is Swiss Coffee. It’s a timeless creamy white that can be used on trim and ceilings for a refined look. Narragansett is a deep, rich green that’s perfect in an historic house, but also lends that historic character to a newer home. It delivers an extra bonus, providing a rich background for holiday decorations. A wood paneled wall cries out for this color. 

Small Fixes, Big Impact

Walk through your house as if you’re seeing it for the first time. Notice little things. Cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, and doorknobs are like jewelry for your home. Change or simply polish doorknobs, tighten loose drawer pulls, oil squeaky hinges, and paint scuffed baseboards. I got a new carpet for my living room last year and couldn’t believe how cohesive it made the room look. Check out Mike’s Picks in Home Furnishings. It’s also a good time to replace “past its prime” furniture or add something new while there are still some great pieces on sale. Polish wooden furniture and silverware as the background for holiday entertaining. These little tweaks easily rejuvenate a home.

Add architectural interest.
Add a feeling of “old New England” character and craftsmanship with crown molding or beadboard in a powder room.

Refresh your lighting.
Fall and winter light can be unforgivingly dim. Replace old lampshades with linen ones, add dimmers for mood, install a statement fixture over the dining table. Layer your lighting with table lamps, sconces, and candles. Replace cool bulbs with warm, soft-white ones for an inviting glow that flatters everyone (and everything) in your home. Put Dawn to Dusk bulbs in your outdoor fixtures (Housewares). Tip: A small table lamp with a pink bulb belongs in every powder room. 

Reimagine your entryway.
Create a welcoming vibe with a mirror, small bench, basket for shoes, a few hooks or coat rack, vase of fresh greens and a small lamp on a table painted a fun color. Tip: Paint the mirror frame red, - hot accent color for 2026! 

Decorative Ideas

Design a gallery wall of photos with a theme. Collect nature’s bounty for fall tablescapes:    pumpkins, gourds, a basket of pinecones, autumn leaves (press them flat) and scallop shells while they’re plentiful. Tip: Clean shells in boiling water with a drop of Clorox for 3 minutes. Use as place cards or to make Xmas tree lights.

Calm Before the Celebration

            A well-prepared home feels peaceful and welcoming. The other day I was in my daughter Amy’s house and, unthinkingly remarked that it could use a few nostalgic things for character.  She has good taste. The furniture and paintings are of good quality and style. She pointed out that when you have kids it’s easier to have a clean palette. I get that. Modern, simple, timeless and effortlessly adaptable is easy to live with. But whatever your home style might be, when it comes to the holidays, nostalgia never goes out of style. Assemble all the things that remind you of past holidays, friends and family, and create a loving Thanksgiving table. You can’t overdo a good thing. In fact, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.  And a little reminder, you can never have too many candles. Stock up on fall colors while they last.