December: A Month of Contradictions, Reflection, and Quiet Strength

Winter’s emptiness dressed in sparkle

December is a funny month for me, full of contradictions, a mix of bright lights and cold air, celebration and solitude, joy and heaviness. Everywhere you look there’s sparkle: shop windows dripping in glitter, streets lit up, the usual wave of festive cheer rolling out of offices, pubs, and restaurants. Yet outside, the world is bare, frosty, quiet, and still.  People are the same, some are glowing with the season, some are barely holding on, and many sit somewhere in the messy middle.

Back in autumn, I spoke about the power of letting go and the way nature teaches us to release what we no longer need. Winter has lessons too and they’re blunt and often uncomfortable. In our darkest moments, when everything feels stripped back, we often see our strength most clearly. So many people transform their lives from places of despair, fear, or loss. Sometimes it’s only when we’re pushed to the edge that we finally leap. The idea of nothing is usually far more frightening than any real worst-case scenario.

This year, December feels particularly personal, it’s always been one of my favourite months! Those who knows me will tell you I’m usually the first one to start celebrating, but not because of the pressures of the commercial side of Christmas. I’m not interested in the pressure, the overspending, or the competition to create the perfect festive season.

For me, it’s always been about the small things:

• Time with the people who matter

• Traditions, both old and new

• Remembering those no longer with us and feeling grateful for the memories

• Looking at our communities and asking where we can genuinely make a difference

• Turning inward and noticing what we’ve learned this year, and what we want to take forward  with us into the new year.

As the world slows down toward the year’s end, we try to make space for connection. We see more multi-generational gatherings, more shared meals, more of those small moments that quietly become core memories. I once heard someone describe marriage as the merging of two sets of traditions taking the best of each and creating something new together. That stuck with me, because that’s exactly what December has become in my own life: a blend of traditions from my family, my husband’s family, and the ones we’ve created ourselves.  These rituals let us revisit past joy, reconnect with pieces of ourselves we may have forgotten, and anchor fully into the present as we create new joy.

Every person we meet on the journey through life teaches us something. Some people stay for years, some drift, some enter our story briefly but leave a lasting impression. December is when I tend to reflect on all of them, the ones I’ve lost, the ones I’ve outgrown, and even the challenging ones who, without knowing it, pushed me forward.

Then there’s community, not just the people on your street or in your village, but the people you see at the gym, the colleagues you lean on, your business network, the friends who show up when things get tough. This time of year can be magical, but it can also magnify loneliness, stress, and overwhelm. Being aware of who might be struggling matters because alongside all the festivities, there are people navigating intense pressure:

• Family expectations

• Financial strain

• Anxiety

• Overwhelm

• Social exhaustion

The season can feel like too much. That’s why, throughout December, I’ll be running my "Create a Calm Christmas" series on Instagram for anyone who needs to take back a bit of calm and control, allowing you to breathe again.

This year has been full of change for me. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, and I’ve learned so much about my needs and my boundaries, including the times I broke them and had to learn the hard way. I’ve been challenged, stretched, excited, and surprised., and I’m walking into next year feeling ambitious and energised.

So as I step into one of my favourite months, here’s what I’m holding onto:

• Appreciation for the people around me

• Gratitude for those who’ve shaped my journey

• A commitment to noticing who might need support

• A desire to create moments of joy that may be small but meaningful

For me, December is about joy, generosity, kindness, and warmth. We can’t change the whole world on our own but we can create ripple effects. Enough ripples become waves and waves change things.

So let me ask you: How do you want to feel this December? And what truly matters to you as the year comes to a close?