How One Intentional December Can Change Your Whole Year
December is one of my favorite months of the year, and it hasn’t always been that way. In this episode, the first of two this week, I take you on a journey backwards through how my Decembers have evolved. I share why I believe an intentional December can lead to an extraordinary year.
In this episode:
- Why December is so potent for growth. December comes with more triggers: the end-of-year rush, money, health, temptation, and comparison. They’re coming up for everyone around us too. If you can do it in December, you can do it in any month.
- My natural winter rhythm. I’m a hunker-down-in-winter kind of woman, with a journal, hot tea, soup, and fewer people. I learned early that the world around me didn’t work that way.
- Growing up in New Orleans. I loved Christmas, and I also felt everyone’s stress, from late-night desk assembly to family dynamics to everything being done before we sat down.
- Becoming a mom and simplifying gifts. Simplicity Parenting led to our four-gift tradition: something needed, something wanted, something made, and something to read. I also had the hard conversations asking grandparents for experiences instead of presents.
- Reimagining Thanksgiving. After I got healthy and changed my food, our Thanksgiving became about the kids choosing what we cook together. We’ve done it this way for about 16 years, chatting and dancing in the kitchen.
- The year I shattered my wrist. I fell ice skating on Black Friday and spent that December by the fire, catching up to who I’d become and dreaming about what was next.
- The year I wrote it all down. I spent a visioning day with my business BFF Jen Mazer in New York City, then filled in my workbook by the fire. That year brought my Kickstarter, my book, and a family book tour, and it began my planning obsession.
- Why every December is different. Each one responds to the year that came before it. That’s why it’s so important to pause long enough to plan it.
- Make December Matter’s ninth year. This year I’m calling it the essentialist year, and in the next episode I’ll take you behind the scenes of what I’m thinking about for my own December.
Join me for Make December Matter
This is the ninth year of Make December Matter, and it’s the most essential one yet. Here’s how it works:
- Live session on Thursday, November 12th. In about two and a half hours, I’ll walk you through designing your whole December.
- Do the work over the weekend. You’ll get planning pages and the recording, so you can take your time.
- Integration and coaching on Tuesday, November 17th. We’ll meet back up so you can get your questions answered and head into the season feeling ready.
What we’ll plan together:
- Work and life projects that need finishing, and what doesn’t need to get done
- A wellness plan for food, sleep, and your health
- Your holidays, including gifts, gatherings, and even that difficult dinner
- How to actually take time off
- Space in the dark days of December for delicious dreaming and visioning
Here’s the part I’m so excited about. When you join for $111, you get a year on Substack. That includes Make December Matter plus a guided planning session every month, so you pull the thread of your vision all the way through 2027. That’s about $9 a session.
Are you an entrepreneur in midlife and beyond who wants to grow your network next year? You can upgrade to the version that includes networking.
And bring a friend! The more the merrier, and you’ll have built-in accountability.
How to start thinking about December
You don’t have to wait for the event to begin. Here are a few ways to start today.
Notice what December usually asks of you. Think about last December. What drained you, what filled you up, and where did you feel the pull to be someone you’re not?
Ask what you want to keep, let go of, and bring in. Every December is different because every year is different. What traditions still feel true? What are you ready to release? What have you been wanting to bring in forever and ever?
Respond to this year as it is. Who will be home and who won’t? What does your body need, and what does your business need? Let your December fit the life you’re living right now, not the one you lived ten years ago.
Decide what doesn’t need to get done. Look at your work and home projects and get honest about what truly has to happen this calendar year. Everything else can wait.
Protect some time to dream. Put a few unhurried hours on your calendar for reflection and visioning. Give yourself a fire, a journal, something warm to drink, and permission to write it all down.
Excited to have a plan for all this? Join Us for Make December Matte
