(Photo: Travis Rathbone)

The winter solstice is behind us, but there are still weeks to go before we can leave the office in daylight. A depressing thought—even more so if you are prone to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So make your home a sanctum as the sun sets, enlivening it with lights to suit your romantic, or modernist, or green-minded tastes. An even easier fix for the January doldrums: Stockpile a stash of flickering tea lights. The silver-dollar-size votives from Bed Bath & Beyond ($4.99 for a bag of 100 at the Tribeca store, 270 Greenwich St., nr. Murray St.; 212-233-8450) transform a mundane room into an otherworldly refuge when lined up on bookshelves or mantels, huddled on a dining table, or scattered about like miniature stars.