31 Ways for Loving the Ordinary Each & Every Day
A gentle guide to noticing the beauty of this month.
Every month, I create a list of ways for Loving the Ordinary — small invitations to enjoy life by carefully curating your days with home, garden, and the simple rhythms of daily living. These lists are a gentle practice of noticing the moments that invite us to slow down, savor the season, and enjoy time alone or with someone dear.
If you’re new to this ritual, I also wrote a blog about Curating Life with Loving the Ordinary Lists that expands on how these ideas can shape a more meaningful daily rhythm. For December, I’ve taken many of these moments and expanded on them to inspire you further. Below you’ll find December’s 31 Ways for Loving the Ordinary — a month that asks us to pause, breathe deeply, and enjoy the season as it unfolds.
This time of year, with the Holidays approaching, naturally invites us to be more present. December’s Loving the Ordinary List is filled with small, doable ideas to help you enjoy the shift into winter and the beauty this month offers.
Please find one or two ideas for Loving the Ordinary in December.
As you read, I hope one or two ideas gently rise to meet you. And I hope December finds you welcoming a moment’s pause — appreciating your home, your garden, and your community. When I say “community,” I mean the full circle of people woven into our lives: family, those we consider family, neighbors, friends, and even the familiar faces we nod to on morning walks.
If you enjoy these monthly lists, please share December’s 31 Ways for Loving the Ordinary with someone who might also enjoy a quieter, more intentional December.
December Blessings to You,
Bobbi
Joy-filled Invitation — Curate Your Year With Loving the Ordinary
This December list is just one of 30+ ideas we share to help you curate a more intentional, joyful year.
If you’d like these seasonal rhythms delivered to you, you’re welcome to sign up for our weekly newsletters — and receive a free Loving the Ordinary download to help you begin curating a life you truly enjoy.
Our weekly newsletters include:
• curating your life
• home design
• gardening ideas
• seasonal living
• journaling and reflective practices
→ I’d love to receive the Loving the Ordinary download
December invites us to savor the moment, enjoy the comforts of home, reconnect with our communities, and settle into the season.
I hope you find one or two ideas that bring you joy.
- Purchase puzzles or new games for the family and as gifts. The weather is getting colder, so we’ll be indoors more. Besides, memories are made together by laughing.
- Go window shopping, enjoy a warm drink while you stroll, and maybe you’ll find a new store to investigate.
- Tour a historic home decorated for the holidays to be inspired by architecture, interior design, and seasonal decorating.
- Purchase a Christmas cactus, Amaryllis, or paper-white bulbs for winter blooms. In addition, if you need help, I have a YouTube video to show you how to “plant” these bulbs.
- For a special friend or relative, order copies of photos or create a small photo album they would cherish.
- Create handmade gift tags that, as a result, could be bookmarks for book gifts. I saw these beautiful ones on Pinterest.
- One evening, just after sundown, bundle up and walk around the neighborhood to admire friends and neighbors’ outdoor decorations and light displays.
- Develop your ‘signature’ house scent for the winter ahead – for example, use citrus rinds, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a decorative bowl or simmer them in a pot of simmering water on the stove. Or use essential oils.
- Attach jingle bells everywhere to ring out good tidings – Shoes/boots, purse/briefcase, pet’s collars, car keys.
- Learn to make one of your Grandmother’s Holiday cookies.
Deepen Your December With a Peace-filled Guide
If these ideas inspire you, you may enjoy the December Peace-filled Joy eBook, a comforting companion for the month. Inside, you’ll find the full Loving the Ordinary list, seasonal journaling prompts, room-by-room reflections for your winter home, and cozy activities to help you settle into the season with intention.
→ Explore the December Peace-filled Joy eBook
- Wrap up a few ornaments, candles, or specialty food items to have on hand for hostess gifts. It is a good idea year-round.
- Wear a glittery Seasonal brooch.
- Be sure to winterize the house for the colder weather. For instance, get rid of drafts around doors and windows.
- Open Christmas cards as a family & take turns reading them out loud
- Have a Cookie Decorating Party with all the sprinkles. Host for a friend’s children so the parents can go shopping or relax.
- Read a Holiday Classic or find a new one. For example, the classics like ‘The Gift of the Magi,’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ plus many other books on Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. Our CCL Book Club has a holiday book we read; sign up to join us and get the book club list.
- Put on Holiday music, sing out loud, and dance.
- Start a new tradition by making a holiday ornament. Again, I have a Pinterest page with ideas.
- Attend a Christmas parade or a Christmas tree lighting
- Volunteer at a local food bank or toy drive
- Master the art of baking a gingerbread cake with candied ginger. In other words, it is a beautiful bite that is always a hit!
- Write a letter to Santa telling him how good you’ve been and what you want for Christmas. Then get it for yourself.
- Give an anonymous gift to someone in need. We’ve all been in need. Furthermore, we remember the feelings of a thoughtful gesture.
- Plan a Holiday movie night with fluffy blankets, cocoa, and popcorn. Similarly, I make chocolate spoons for cocoa. Here is a blog explaining how.
- Sleep under or by the Christmas tree.
- Shop after-Christmas sales to stock up on wrapping paper, ribbons, and candles. Remember, red is a color for many other holidays.
- Swap your nightgown for cozy winter flannel pajamas
- Plan a fun lunch date with a friend at a festive location
- Get out your New Year calendars and planners; we will prepare for the upcoming year during our annual year-end class and celebration.
- Bring out cozy blankets, floor pillows, and candles for the winter.
- Celebrate yourself — write a ta-da list of everything you accomplished this year.
More Ways to Enjoy Loving the Ordinary
If you love slow living, seasonal inspiration, and gentle home-centered rhythms, here are a few next steps:
- First thing to remember is to join our private Facebook page
- Secondly, get our weekly newsletter by signing up here, and when you do, you’ll receive a download with ideas for Loving the Ordinary all year.
- Thirdly, sign up for our free monthly CCL Book Club — with a new book chosen each month…
- Fourthly, here are two blog posts to read for more on the Loving the Ordinary lists…
- Lastly, purchase our monthly A Carefully Curated Life eBooks…
Live the Seasons With Greater Intention
If you’d like more support in creating a calm, intentional life through each season, the Curated Life Membership offers a gentle place to begin. Inside, you’ll find guidance designed to help you enjoy your home, your days, and the ordinary moments that make a year meaningful.
The Membership includes:
• Holiday Planning
• 60 Days of Cozy (November–December)
• Seasonal modules for every season of the year
• A library of monthly eBooks
• Seasonal home design lessons
• Monthly gatherings and thoughtful support
It’s a warm, welcoming space to grow in the lifestyle we talk about here — one grounded in intention, seasonal living, and loving the ordinary.
A gentle note for the months ahead:
More details about Live Your Best Curated Life — a deeper, intentional-living experience — are coming in the new year. If you’d like to be quietly notified when the next round opens, you’re welcome to join the waitlist.→ Join the LYBCL Waitlist
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