Small Things

(that aren’t so small)

December is… a lot. I don’t have to spell it out for you (at least in the US), because if you are old enough to read these words, you already know. It can be quite wonderful. It can also be downright devastating. Often, it’s so many conflicting things at once that it’s hard to convey. Family, friends, business, travel, budgeting, celebrating, grieving, hoping not to disappoint others while worrying that they may disappoint you, winding down, gearing up, and sometimes just trying to hold it together…

I think I’m pretty healthy overall, but historically, I’ve been known to get sick in December. I’ve had colds, the flu, and even Covid-19 for Christmas. This year, I decided to change it up a little and go with Mysterious Back Trouble for 1000, Alex. (Apologies if you are reading from someplace where the Jeopardy game show isn’t well-known.) Canceling our excursion to enjoy Tennessee holiday decorations in favor of spending the day in a South Carolina Urgent Care wasn’t on my bingo card when Bill arranged to take time off from work this week for a nice little December getaway with me after his eye surgery, but that’s how things played out.

I’m not sure who actually said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Her your plans” (there are several variations), but somehow I am powerfully reminded of it nearly every December. At the same time, I’m especially grateful for access to good healthcare this year, knowing that such a privilege is far from universal here.

As often happens with physical ailments, I have also been reminded how many simple little things I do in the course of an average day that I completely take for granted: reaching up, sitting down, loading the dishwasher, getting dressed and undressed, putting on socks (!), moving stuff from here to there, and sitting at a computer to teach or write a Substack post. I don’t think twice about it until suddenly there’s serious pain involved, and those once-effortless movements seem like little miracles.

I don’t live a particularly fancy life, but the truth is that for much of the world—especially those affected by war, famine, or poverty—my everyday activities would indeed feel miraculous.

Why does it too often take a serious setback for me to fully appreciate how blessed I am? Why do we so easily take for granted things large and small? Every December, I wish I could call my late mom to wish her a Happy Birthday and hear her voice again. It never seemed like such a big deal back when it was easy to do. Now, I’d give almost anything to do it one more time.

So I’ve been pondering what we think of as small things and how often they aren’t small at all when it comes to their importance in our lives.

Children’s Advent Calendars are a wonderful way to celebrate small things.

December is the grand finale of the year, filled with long lists, packed calendars, and out-sized expectations. When our current reality doesn’t align with those norms, it can bring up some big feelings. By the end of this month, many of us will have already made major decisions about next year, with some version of goal or intention setting and perhaps even a Word of the Year selected for 2026.

By February, the percentage of those aims that will have been adjusted if not outright abandoned calls into question the wisdom of at least a few of those grand pronouncements in the first place, which is surely why New Year’s Resolutions don’t seem to be as popular as they used to be.

I’m not suggesting that goals and intentions aren’t valuable. If this whole end-of-the-year extravaganza works great for you and yours, as is, then more power to you! Depending on your particular circumstances, however, it could be that January 1st isn’t the best day for you to commit to massive plans for the next year of your life, if for no other reason than December not being the best time to attempt to throw those plans together in the midst of everything else that’s going on.

Needless to say (as she says it anyway…), you don’t have to succumb to societal pressure to approach the end of the year in some standard prescribed way. In fact, that may not even be an option for you this year. You can deviate by 1° or 180°.

At the same time, there’s something undeniably special about reflecting and celebrating as one year comes to a close and a new one, ripe with hope and possibility, begins. What if we saved some of the big thorny decisions for a less charged time of year that might be a better fit for us, whether it’s an anniversary, a birthday, or another day we’ve designated for this work? You might use the comparatively dormant month of January to plan and set intentions by February 1st, or maybe your world is more organized around the school year, the lunar calendar, or liturgical seasons than the calendar year. (The season of Epiphany that begins January 6th is a particular favorite of mine.)

I realize my introvert tendencies are showing, but it occurs to me that re-scheduling some of our more daunting, complex, or business-focused year-end tasks and gearing down to more intuitive, smaller-scale intentions could encourage a December in which we can be more fully present for whatever we choose to highlight, including some of the little things that inevitably get buried when we go big.

Set aside ambitious SMART goals for the moment and consider just a few small but meaningful things that have particular resonance for you right now. For the moment, lead with your heart rather than your head.

Give yourself permission to have a little fun sprinkling these small things into your vision of the immediate future. This could involve regular sketchbook time in the morning, or signing up for a slow read of a classic novel. Maybe it’s time to do something with that nice skein of yarn you’ve been saving, or put together a family cookbook or scrapbook this year.

There are no wrong answers, but here are some examples of things you might be ready for more of in your life, to get you started:

• pauses for breathing deeply

• occasional weekend naps

• color (photos, clothing, paint, anything…)

• poetry

• music

• walks in nature

• time with friends

• alone time

• family recipes

• libraries

• artist dates (a la The Artist’s Way)

• people or groups you want to actively support

• learning new things (at any age!)

If there are also things you’d like to do less of, you can include those as well, provided having or doing fewer such things would truly make your heart sing. I would caution against making this an ought-to list, however. This isn’t the place for “I ought to give up sugar this year,” or “I need to lose 15 pounds by the spring.” That’s a very different energy than we are going for. But fewer late nights to encourage more and better sleep? Absolutely!

Think of all your selections more like tiny gifts to yourself—lovely ornaments on the tree that you’ve been tempted to reach for for quite some time, celestial stocking stuffers, warm and sparkly little things your intuition has identified as most likely to bring more comfort and joy into your life!

Although the baby Jesus was quite small, he had a profound impact on the world.

Also, a one-year time frame is by no means mandatory for these precious small things. Feel free to get creative with where you sprinkle them. You could focus on winter for now, or it might be fun to select one or two small things to experiment with at the beginning of each month or quarter.

Even if you are choosing small things to spread throughout the year, it need not be a long list. I think 4-6 items is a good number, but you do you. Give yourself some time to ponder these—maybe until the end of December or so. If a long list springs immediately to mind, go ahead and jot it down, but after giving yourself a few days more to think about them, you might go back and circle the ones you feel a real sense of anticipation about.

Do make this little adventure as low-pressure as possible! While I recommend choosing small achievable things, I’d go easy on any specific, measurable, assignable, and time-bound requirements. If you want more suitable criteria to consider, ask yourself what would bring a smile to your face, put a spring in your step, or warm your heart.

So what do you think of this tortoise-y approach to December? Does it hold any appeal or spark ideas of your own? What are a couple of small things that might create or extend a sense of holiday cheer into the approaching winter season?

I’d love to hear from you!