The Twelve Days of Winter Wonder
Mix simple, sustainable ideas and short reflections... Stir with appropriate amounts of encouragement. Season extravagantly with hope.
Friends, This time of year is hecka hectic. I’m winging into your inbox to remind you it’s OK to choose some hush over hustle.
More does not mean merrier.
Perfection is a performance metric no one measures up to.
By any standard, 2024 has been a year that refused to be tamed. I mean dug its heels in hard and said, “Nope. I'm staying feral and unpredictable.”
But here we are. Together.
I usually do something festive for the 12 Days of Christmas (which traditionally run from Christmas Day to Epiphany).
However, given that we are from over 100 countries and represent a myriad of traditions, I thought we’d keep it on-theme for us here…
Welcome to the 12 Days of Winter Wonder: Short Reflections & Simple Ideas for Wonder-Filled Wintering.
(Yes, I love alliteration. No, that is not ChatGPT. That is ALLLLLLLL me. You’re welcome.)
And I do appreciate the irony of a Florida girl talking about Wintering when it’s a balmy 72ºF out.
I’m living in the mental state of Minnesota though, so maybe we call this dispatches from my future self. 😆
Anyway, I’m pulling out my daily writing skills to send you a (relatively) short encouraging reflection and a practical, simple, sustainable idea for celebrating each day starting tomorrow through the new year.
As a way to say thank you.
Thank you for being here. For being you. For hanging with me during this wild first year of figuring things out on Substack.
🥳 SOME CELEBRATORY MILESTONES
This news is in baby stages, but y’all The Wonder Habit is going to be a BOOK… An incredible turn of events happened in the last few weeks, and I now have a literary agent. I’m back to authoring and writing books again. And I’m teary-eyed grateful.
In 2025, I’m offering limited one-on-one 45-minute Wonder Coaching calls for targeted feedback and personal encouragement, perfect for support when you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed creatively. More coming in January on that!
Wake Up to Wonder: A Year-Long Project
More Wonder & Less Worry in 5 Minutes a Day
Listening to so many of you and watching current events, it has become crystal clear to me that there’s a deep need for connection and learning to find wonder like never before.
In 2025, we are rising to play our part in meeting that need here.
Click through to watch the Instagram reel for a sneak peek. 👀 I’m not kidding. That reel took half a day to make, and I’m so very proud of her. ⬇️
The idea is simple.
Every day, look for one moment of beauty, goodness, and wonder. Then, in a 1-inch square jot that moment down in as little as five minutes. It could be a doodle, a tiny painting, a splash of color, a word, or anything that helps jog your memory of the moment.
Use any supplies you like. If you cut your paper into 1-inch squares, you can paste them onto a larger canvas… and literally watch wonder unfold all year long.
I’ll be sending out a free guide on December 23rd sharing more of the details.
Because of the enormity of the times we are in, I have decided to offer everything you need to get started in the guide for free. And I’ll be sending out monthly Wake Up to Wonder updates here on Substack for everyone including our free subscribers.
Our paid subscribers will receive additional monthly creative deep dives and have access to a newly updated monthly Zoom call which will be a check-in call starting in January where I’m available to answer questions or offer support.
I feel very deeply I need to shift my focus to help you have the tools, inspiration, and support you need to find wonder every day. And to record it in a meaningful way.
There will still be periodic art prompts as a part of that purpose because they are FUN!
But I want to help you learn how to see and celebrate the wonder happening in quiet ways, blooming right at your feet so your life can become a wonder prompt.
Want to do this with someone you love? 🎁 Sign up and give them a gift subscription.
There is so much in the works for 2025 that I can’t wait to tell you about. But most of all, I look forward to building a regular writing rhythm here and growing our community.
Wonder is a “surthrival” skill. Yep. I made a word up. It’s a skill for surviving and for thriving.
I want you to have the support you need to build your own wonder practice.
To be more creative. To feel less alone. To connect more deeply to yourself, one another, and the world around you. And to find wonder every single day.
See you tomorrow for Day 1 of 12!
The power lines on the AI winter scene not withstanding, why is there a shed with no door or windows, I stead of a little log cabin with yellow light flooding from a picture window and a door with three little window panes emitting pale flickering light from behind them?!?!