31 Daily December Journal Prompts For Reflection And Christmas Vibes

If you’re looking to reflect on the year while still maintaining Christmas spirit, I recommend you use these powerful daily December journal prompts.

Developing a daily journaling habit is one of the best things you can do to protect your energy and wellbeing ESPECIALLY at this time of the year when everything is filled with chaos. 

As a Mindset and Productivity Coach for perfectionists, I know that Christmas can be a hard time of the year for my clients because they put SO MUCH pressure on themselves to be ‘perfect’. They end up not enjoying the season and focusing on the negative instead.

That’s why I’ve compiled a super easy list of journal prompts for you to use that will help you make the most out of the final month of the year. There are questions to help you get into the Christmas spirit, clear your mind from perfectionism and mentally prepare for the New Year.

You can use them every day or mix and match depending on your needs.

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Why journal in December

December can be a very stressful time. There’s a lot of pressure to do a final push to achieve your New Year’s resolutions and juggle loads of family obligations all while wearing a big smile on your face. That’s why perfectionism can hit hard at this time of the year. 

December has been hailed as the most stressful month of the year with surveys by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) showing that ‘24% of people with a diagnosed mental illness find that the holidays make their condition “a lot” worse and 40% “somewhat” worse.’

Furthermore, the NAMI survey also showed that:

• 75% of people feel sad or dissatisfied during the holidays.
• 68% feel financially strained.
• 66% have experienced loneliness.
• 63% feel too much pressure.
• 57% struggle with unrealistic expectations.
• 55% remember happier times from the past, comparing them to the present.
• 50% are unable to be with loved ones.

Journaling is a practical way to deal with your competing demands and clear your mind so that you don’t go crazy or burn out.

AND it’s also a great opportunity to tap into your inner child and actively embrace the Christmas spirit and I say that as someone who used to roll my eyes about Christmas because I was ‘too grown’ to care. Now, I’m all about Christmas and force myself to be a positive force rather than a negative one. 

I journal to help me put things into perspective and see the beauty in the world.

31 December journal prompts

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

1. What’s one thing you WANT to enjoy about Christmas this year?
2. What Christmas tradition means the most to you?
3. Write down three simple ways to add more fun Christmas energy to your day.
4. How can you bring joy to someone else this holiday season?
5. What’s your ideal way to spend Christmas Day?

Surviving the Cold Weather

6. What do you actually like about winter? List 3 things.
7. What’s one way you can create a warm, cosy aesthetic in your room?
8. What needs to go into your winter morning routine so that you feel good?
9. What’s a small act of self-care you can do for yourself this week?
10. How can you enjoy winter more?

Gratitude for the Year

11. What’s something that went well for you this year?
12. Who are you most grateful for right now?
13. What did you do this year that made you feel like ‘That Girl/Guy’?
14. Write about a lesson you learned this year and why it was necessary.
15. What’s a simple pleasure that you often overlook but appreciate now?

Clearing Your Mind and Letting Go of Perfectionism

16. When has aiming for perfection caused you stress?
17. How would you feel if you let go of the need to be perfect?
18. What’s one area of your life where you can embrace “good enough”?
19. Write about something you are struggling to accept about yourself.
20. What’s one thing you can do to stop being so hard on yourself?

Letting Go of Past Mistakes

21. What’s a mistake you made this year, and how can you forgive yourself for it?
22. What did you learn from that mistake?
23. What has made you a stronger, kinder, and more resilient person?
24. Write a letter to your past self, forgiving them for their mistakes.
25. What’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself for next year?

Mentally Preparing for the New Year

26. What strengths did you gain from this past year?
27. What’s something you’d like to do differently next year?
28. Write down three things you want to focus on in the new year.
29. What habits do you want to leave behind?
30. How can you make the new year feel more manageable?
31. What’s your word or theme for the new year, and why?

How to use these journal prompts

You don’t need to do this daily, just use them when you feel like it. Maybe one prompt a day, maybe a few at once. It honestly doesn’t matter too much because there’s no wrong way to journal. 

If you feel stressed, take a break and write it out. It can be as short as one sentence or a whole long ass essay. The key is to keep it easy and enjoyable.

However, I do recommend you try to develop a habit of journaling so that you can maintain a feeling of groundedness during this time of year. 

Things you can do to maintain Christmas spirit 

• Play Christmas music: for example, I know the Christmas season has officially begun when I start to blast Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas on repeat (annoying my family in the process). 
• Don’t engage in negative talk, gossip or complaining about the weather or Christmas. Negativity fuels more negativity and why waste the last couple weeks of the year feeding that energy
• Decorate your space to feel Christmassy: add cute Christmas quotes to your bullet journal or desktop screen. Put up Christmas decorations if you haven’t already
• Journal about it: use the journal prompts above or just free-write things of your own. There is no pressure, I just recommend you try to use it as a space to reframe negative thoughts and embrace positivity if you can (for this particular purpose).
• Match your hobbies with the theme: e.g. if you’re an artist you can draw Christmas items and if you’re a writer, try to write a Christmas short story etc….

What December journal prompts are you going to use?

So, are you going to use these journal prompts to help you get into the Christmas spirit or are you going to create your own?

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to journal, just have fun with it and see what comes up for you! 

Don’t let your perfectionism get in the way and try to use this as an experience to help you get over your perfectionism so that you can start your New Year in the best position possible. 

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Related Posts:

• 101 End-of-Year Journal Prompts to Get Your Mind (and Life) Together
• 30 Powerful November Journal Prompts To Mentally Prepare For Winter
• 31 Daily October Journal Prompts For Staying Grounded In Reality
• 30 Daily September Journal Prompts For Inspiration And Hope
• 31 Daily August Journal Prompts For Happiness And Prosperity
• 31 July Journal Prompts For Good Summer Vibes
• 30 AMAZING June Journal Prompts For Living Your Best Life
• The Simple Winter Morning Routine To Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder
• 91 Motivating Daily Autumn Affirmations For Reflection And Passion 

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