Sparkling lights, a white Christmas, and cozy evenings at home with delightfully spooky ghost stories – December felt genuinely magical this year and far less exhausting than Decembers past. Mostly because I’ve finally gotten wiser and stopped letting Christmas prep stress me out. Fewer presents, more Christmas markets, silly festive songs, and buttery homemade cookies – that’s how the run-up to Christmas becomes calm, joyful, and truly special.
What I did:
One of the very best things about the pre-Christmas season is, without a doubt, Christmas markets. So of course we visited one. We had planned to go again, but unfortunately everyone caught a cold. Still, I really can’t complain about the weeks leading up to Christmas – we enjoyed them so much. Christmas itself was absolutely enchanting. Experiencing the holidays through a child’s eyes makes everything feel brand new and wonderfully magical. The cherry on top? Snowfall right on December 24th. Pure movie magic.
The days “between the years” (as we say in Germany) were mostly calm and relaxed. I ventured out on a lovely day trip to Munich, but otherwise we stayed at home in the countryside, climbed to higher ground to catch a few rays of sunshine, and simply soaked up quality family time together.
What I wore
Winter weather calls for warm coats, long-sleeved dresses, and thermal tights – and that pretty much sums up my December outfits.
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What I read
In the lead-up to Christmas, I mainly dove into the spooky and ghostly reads I bought back in November:
- The Dead of Winter: The Demons, Witches and Ghosts of Christmas by Sarah Clegg: A delightfully eerie collection of winter demons, ghosts, and witches that haunt the season around Christmas. From Krampus to Saint Lucia to modern Stonehenge rituals, it’s all in there. Note: It’s not a novel, but a fun, fascinating little nonfiction book about creepy winter creatures. I really like it—super interesting!
- Christmas Ghost Stories: These two anthologies revive the old Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas. Authors like Dickens, Lovecraft, Bowen, Harvey, D. H. Lawrence, and A. C. Doyle take readers into cursed manor houses, icy seas, and eerie London flats. Compact collections full of classic horror and ghost stories—perfect for dark winter nights and deliciously spooky reading sessions. Ideal for reading aloud by the fireplace on long December evenings. 😉
After Christmas, I was in the mood for something lighter and more entertaining and scrolled through the Kindle Unlimited selection. I ended up with “Die fabelhaften Flüche der Madame Avinée”. A delightfully quirky story that made me smile – definitely worth a read if you enjoy witchcraft stories, a touch of crime, and a light, playful tone. But I think the book is only available in German…
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Mein Moodboard für den Januar:
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