THE SANTABLOG SERIES, DAY 4. (When December Hits You Harder Than You Expected)

THE SANTABLOG SERIES

DAY 4

_{Press play before you scroll. Let’s get into that Christmas spirit.}

There’s something about December that sneaks up on you. It doesn’t arrive with a big announcement. It doesn’t knock on the door and say, “Right, I’m here now, feel something.” It just sort of… settles. It creeps into the air, into the mornings, into your routine, and before you realise it, you’re walking around with this weird heaviness in your chest you can’t quite explain.

And the annoying part is, everyone else seems to be buzzing. Trees up, lights everywhere, people talking about Christmas plans and who’s cooking what and what presents they’ve bought, and you’re just stood there thinking, “Mate, I can barely keep my head above water right now.” But you smile, you nod, and you try to keep up, because that’s what you’re supposed to do in December, right… act like you’re excited even if your brain and body are absolutely done.

It’s strange how December brings out the highlights reel of everyone else’s life while you’re stuck dealing with the bloopers of your own. Everywhere you look there’s some perfect looking family, perfect decorations, perfect plans. But that’s all surface level stuff, and we all know deep down that people’s lives aren’t as neat as the photos they post. Still… it gets to you, even when you think you’re too old for that sort of thing.

And the truth is, for a lot of people, December is the month that finally breaks you. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just quietly. You don’t fall apart in some big cinematic explosion. You just slowly start to feel it… the tiredness that doesn’t go away, the sadness that comes out of nowhere, the weird numbness that makes everything feel slightly out of focus. You wake up and you don’t feel rested. You sit at work and you feel disconnected. You go home and you can’t switch off. And you start wondering what the hell is wrong with you.

But nothing is wrong with you. You’re normal. You’re human. And December is heavy. Heavier than people want to admit.

It’s the memories. The reminders. The way this time of year reaches into parts of you that you’ve kept quiet since January. You hear a song and suddenly you’re back in a moment you didn’t realise you missed. You see a decoration and it hits you with nostalgia that isn’t as warm as it used to be. You feel grief without wanting to. And it’s strange, because even the happiest memories can make you emotional this time of year. That’s the thing nobody tells you… the past doesn’t always hurt because it was bad, sometimes it hurts because it was good, and you don’t have that anymore.

You start thinking about people who aren’t here, or people who drifted away, or people you still care about but don’t talk to. You think about old versions of yourself. You think about old dreams. You think about how fast the year went. You think about how different you hoped things would be by now. And all of that sits with you, quietly, while the rest of the world tells you to “cheer up, it’s Christmas.”

But cheering up isn’t that simple. You can’t just press a button and become festive. You can’t force joy. You can’t fake stability. Not when your chest feels tight and your mind feels overloaded.

And that’s another part of December nobody talks about… the burnout. Eleven months of life piled up on your shoulders. Everything you pushed aside because you didn’t have time to deal with it. Every stressful moment you shrugged off. Every tired morning you powered through. It all adds up. And December is the moment your brain says, “Mate, we need to talk,” and you go, “Not now, I’m busy,” but your brain doesn’t listen. It brings everything to the surface anyway.

Then there’s the money stress. That hits differently. It’s the pressure of presents, food, travel, parties, bills that seem to multiply, the worry that you’re not doing enough, the guilt that you can’t give people the Christmas you think they deserve. Even if people say it’s not about gifts, you still feel it. It’s like Christmas has become a competition you never signed up for. And when you’re already stretched thin, that pressure feels brutal.

And I think the weirdest part is how alone you can feel even when you’re not technically alone. You could be sitting at a table full of people, laughing, talking, eating, and still feel like you’re in your own bubble. You hear everyone but you don’t feel connected to any of it. You’re present but not present. You’re there but not really there. And it’s not because you don’t care. It’s because your mind is somewhere else… or maybe it’s nowhere at all. Just blank. Tired. Foggy.

People don’t talk about that kind of loneliness. The kind that doesn’t come from being isolated but from being emotionally drained. From having nothing left to give. From dealing with stuff you don’t know how to explain.

And when that loneliness hits in December, it feels twice as sharp.

You see other people with their families and think you’re the only one who feels disconnected. But you’re not. There are millions of people sitting in crowded rooms feeling completely out of place. They just hide it as well as you do.

We’re all pretending a little bit.

Pretending we’re okay.
Pretending we’re festive.
Pretending the year didn’t batter us.
Pretending we’re not stressed.
Pretending we’re not sad.
Pretending we’re not overwhelmed.
Pretending we’re not disappointed in ourselves.

And that pretending is exhausting in itself.

But the truth is… December doesn’t need you to pretend. It doesn’t need you to perform happiness. It doesn’t need you to become this perfect festive version of yourself. December isn’t meant to be a test you pass or fail.

It’s just a month.
A month that carries a lot of emotional weight.
A month that asks you to look at things you’ve been avoiding.
A month that forces you to feel whether you want to or not.

And maybe that’s why it feels so heavy.
Because you’re emotional, you’re tired, you’re grieving something or someone. You’re stressed, you’re stretched thin.
The year has been long and you’ve been carrying too much.

Feeling like this doesn’t make you weak. It makes you honest and strong. You know why?… because you’re still here, you’re still doing you.

Most people feel the same. They just don’t say it.

And maybe that’s the part of December we forget about… the softness. The quiet moments that remind you you’re still here. The small things that pull you back to yourself when everything feels too much. A cup of tea that calms your head for five minutes. Someone asking if you’re alright. A moment of peace before bed. A laugh you didn’t expect. A memory that doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. A breath that feels a little lighter than yesterday’s.

You don’t need big miracles in December. You don’t need grand gestures or perfect days. You need small moments that feel real. Moments that remind you you’re human. Moments that give you a bit of space inside your own head.

And maybe that’s enough for now.
Maybe not every December has to be magical.
Maybe some Decembers are about surviving. Healing. Resting. Rebalancing. Letting go. Starting again slowly.

Maybe this year isn’t about doing everything.
Maybe it’s about doing what you can.
And being okay with that.

You’re not failing… You’re tired. You’re worn down and you’re stretched thin.
But you’re still here.
Still trying. Still showing up. Still pushing through the heaviness.

And that matters more than anything else.

So if December feels heavy, that’s alright.
If you’re emotional, that’s alright too.
And it’s alright if you don’t feel festive, that’s alright.
If you’re struggling, that’s alright…. even if you feel a bit lost.

This isn’t your final chapter.
It’s just where you are right now.
And you’ll move through it.
Not today maybe.
Not tomorrow.
But you will.

Even on the days you don’t believe it.

And maybe that’s the whole point of December.
It breaks you a little so you can rebuild differently.
Softer. Stronger.
More aware of yourself.
More honest. More human.

Take a breath.
Take the pressure off.
Take December as it comes.

And let that be enough.

🎅THEPLAINANDSIMPLEGUY🎅

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