A Delight-filled December

Happy December! A month of cozy nights, hot chocolate, and festive cheer. One of my favorite months of the year. The holidays often have a beautiful way of reminding us of what really matters, but they also can turn into a never-ending list of tasks that take the joy out of the season. This month I want to be intentional to sprinkle a little bit of delight into every day, to make time for the things that make my heart happy.

1. Journal
For me, the best way to slow down and reflect is to open up my journal. This month I have an advent devotional that I want to journal through, and I want to be more intentional about documenting the month as a whole. At the end of the month I would love to have pages filled with photos, memories, and sketches to look back on.

2. Hot Chocolate
There’s nothing quite like a piping hot mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter evening. I’ve found myself collecting different varieties (this week’s addition was a black forest flavor that I’m intrigued by) and bookmarking new recipes to try. This month I want to master Parisian-style chocolat chaud (this recipe from David Lebovitz sounds promising).

3. Make a Christmas Playlist
Because everything is better with Christmas music. I have yet to find the perfect playlist, and every year I add to a list that I keep on my notes app. This is the year that the list gets turned into an actual playlist that I can have on in the background to make everyday tasks more festive. What are your favorite Christmas songs?

4. Enjoy Local Events
I’ve spent some time over the past week researching holiday events going on in my city (radio station websites, Eventbrite, and Facebook are great tools for this) and have made a list of everything that I want to make time for. Highlights range from traditional favorites (the Nutcracker tea at the Waldorf Astoria), things that have been on my list for years (Christmas lights at the Speedway), and new events that I found during my research (Winter Wonderland at the Rio).

5. Bake
Marathoning the newest season of The Great British Bakeoff has had me in a baking mood, and winter flavors are my personal favorite. Warm gingerbread, crisp peppermint, and cozy chestnut. Yum! I want to spend the season spreading the cheer to neighbors, coworkers, and friends with cookie platters and cupcakes.

6. Curl Up with a Book
Long evenings are the perfect excuse to curl up with a cup of the aforementioned hot chocolate and a good book. This is a month for cozy, charming reads and I have a solid TBR pile to choose from.

7. Send Christmas Cards
I have a bad habit of picking up Christmas cards at the beginning of the season and never sending them. This is the year that I break that habit. This weekend I plan to put on some Christmas music, pour myself a cup of tea, and get writing. After all, who doesn’t love opening up the mailbox to find a piece of snail mail?

These are some of the ways that I will sprinkling a little bit of delight into my month, but I would love to know what you have planned. What are you doing this month to add a little more joy to your December? I would love to see your list!