Creativity in December: Slowing Down the Sparkle
Ah, December.
The month where everything suddenly speeds up just as we realise we’d quite like it to slow down.
The calendar fills. The school emails multiply (i've got a separate email just for school!!) The Christmas shows, the non–school-uniform days (plural?!), the slightly chaotic school fairs, the present lists, the relatives to visit… it can all feel like someone pressed “festive turbo mode” without asking.
And in the middle of all that, creativity often gets pushed somewhere between “wrap gifts at 11pm” and “find the nativity costume that definitely doesn’t still fit.”
But I think December might actually be one of the most quietly creative months, if we let it be.
Not another-to-do-list kind of creativity, not performing Christmas kind of creativity, just simple, cosy moments that help us enjoy the month rather than wish it away.
The Craziness Will Try Its Best… But You Can Still Pause
December can be magical… and also mildly overwhelming. It’s both.
One minute you’re admiring the lights and feeling all fuzzy inside. The next you’re in a panic because you forgot the gift for the Secret Santa you found out about five minutes ago.
But if we take even tiny pauses, we can shift the whole feel of the month.
Moments matter in December:
- taking a slow walk to look at the lights
- wrapping your hands around a hot chocolate
- listening to carols while you cook
- watching a film you’ve seen a hundred times
- lighting a candle just for the atmosphere
These things aren’t grand gestures, they’re small breaths, tiny anchors and small creative touches.
The Little Creative Joys of December
December is full of sensory inspiration if we’re not too busy sprinting past it:
- Icy windows that form delicate patterns overnight.
- Bird prints in the snow, telling little stories before anyone else sees them.
- Cold breath puffing in the morning air.
- The way your scarf smells after a walk in frost-tipped fields.
- The soft crunch of leaves underfoot even when the world is turning grey.
- the glow of windows in early darkness
These are tiny, quiet sparks of inspiration.
Creativity doesn’t have to be making something new, it can be noticing.
Jot down what you see, take a photograph, sketch a pattern in the frost, or simply let it sit in your mind like a little story waiting to be told.
Even small acts, a warm drink held slowly, a moment spent watching the sky change colour, listening to the wind through bare branches, can become creative rituals. They reconnect you to the season and to yourself, and that’s just as valuable as any big project.
Creativity lives in noticing.
Let December Be an Experience, Not a Performance
It’s very easy to get tangled up in what everyone else is doing, the perfect trees, the handmade advent calendars, the colour-coordinated presents, the handmade wreaths, the magical days out, the beautifully wrapped gifts that look like they belong in a magazine. And while all of that is lovely, it can also start to feel like creativity needs to be big or impressive to count.
But you don’t have to do everything, you’re not falling behind and you’re not doing December wrong.
Give yourself the gift of doing less.
Doing what feels good. Choosing your own version of festive.
Tiny Creative Prompts for December
Even amidst the chaos, you can invite small sparks of creativity into everyday life:
- Take five minutes to notice a pattern on an icy window
- Capture the prints of birds in frost or snow
- Make your hot drink and drink it slowly, noticing the aroma and warmth
- Write one line in a notebook about a moment that made you smile
- Light a candle and watch the glow shift in your room
- Listen to a favourite song while folding laundry
- Take a short walk and pay attention to sounds, smells, or textures
These are small, gentle ways to reconnect with yourself and the season.
A Gentle Reminder for the Month Ahead
December doesn’t need you to be superhuman.
It needs you to be present.
Your moments, your pace, your version of festive magic.
It just needs you to notice.
Notice the beauty in the small things. Notice the moments that make you smile. Notice the ways creativity can sneak into your day, even in tiny, almost imperceptible ways.
P.S.
This whole post is 100% a message to myself. I’m brilliant at worrying about everyone else, trying to do all the things, and accidentally comparing myself to every sparkly December post on the internet. So here’s my little reminder to enjoy what I actually do, let go of what I don’t, lean into the small, creative moments, and give myself permission not to do everything.
If you needed the same reminder, consider us in this together.