The pressure to “wrap up the year” is one of December’s most convincing illusions.
The calendar signals closure, and we internalise the idea that we should be closing things too.
But life rarely works that way.
December Is a Compression Point, Not a Conclusion
December, for many, is not a natural ending.
It’s a compression point.
A place where exhaustion, reflection, family dynamics, grief, and obligation collide.
Some people are celebrating.
Others are surviving.
Many are doing both at once.
When Celebration and Grief Coexist
I have a friend who lost her mom in the last few weeks. This Christmas, my heart goes out to her, and to everyone who is missing a loved one and carrying memories that surface at this time of year.
This season can be disorienting.
Especially when we scroll through confident reflections and polished summaries.
Or when we’re feeling sadder than those around us because we’re grieving some type of loss.
A person. A job. A way of life. An old identity.
It becomes easy to assume others have reached a place of certainty, closure, or strength that we somehow missed.
Spoiler. That’s not true at all.
What We See Online Is Only One Angle
What we see online is one angle.
What people share is a curated slice.
What we assume others are feeling is often built on incomplete information.
Recently, I visited the Museum of Illusions. It appealed to the kid in me, and we spent more than a normal amount of time there.
Note: this was largely due to the brain gym and someone’s obsession (not me) with solving an unsolvable puzzle.
These spaces are designed to distort perspective. They play on the science of how our brains work.
What looks stable suddenly isn’t.
What appeared obvious changes entirely when viewed from another angle.
What gets captured in pictures or posts is often just the surface.
This Is Your Reminder That You Are Human
The reality is:
Not everyone is ready to reflect.
Not everyone wants to plan.
Not everyone feels grateful or hopeful right now.
Some people are carrying grief that makes celebration impossible.
Some are exhausted from a year that asked too much.
Some are quietly holding things together without the energy to make meaning of it all.
That does not mean we are behind or weak.
It means we are human.
There is no requirement to turn a year into a tidy narrative on a deadline.
No obligation to extract lessons before you’re ready.
No rule that says clarity must arrive before the calendar turns.
Sometimes the most honest response to December is to stop forcing closure and allow the year to remain unfinished.
Some questions may not have landed yet.
Some experiences may need more distance before they make sense.
And some feelings need time to be processed.
If this season feels heavier than inspiring, that is perfectly okay. Give yourself some grace (I know I am).
If your only goal right now is to get through the weeks ahead with care and kindness, that counts.
December is not a finish line.
It’s just a moment in time.
And you can arrive exactly as you are.
