Draven Jackson
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For those year-round journals looking for festive or seasonal ideas, winter journaling prompts can be a great way to not only continue your writing but to also get you into the holiday spirit! One of my favorite things about winter and the Christmas season is the nostalgia that it brings with it, and journaling can be a great way to tap into those memories and write about them in colorful detail.

If you’re like me and sometimes struggle to come up with new writing ideas or journaling prompts, then I hope these winter-centric questions can help you find new topics to write about as the cold season begins to blow in!

What is your favorite winter memory from childhood?

One of my favorite winter journaling ideas is a trip down memory lane: what is your favorite winter memory from childhood? Think about your most precious moments from when you were young, and choose one that sticks out to you. It can be anything – a once-in-a-lifetime moment about when you first went to Disney World during Christmas, or even something as every day as the way you spend Christmas Eve at your grandma’s house every year.

Whatever memory you choose, write it in as much detail as you can remember. Make sure to talk about the smells, the colors, and the people around you. How did that experience make you feel at the time, and what do you feel now looking back at it?

Sometimes it’s fun to reminisce about old memories in writing, pulling the thoughts apart and savoring each detail.

Describe your top Christmas movie and how it makes you feel.

With Christmas fast approaching, of course, there have to be some holiday-centric, winter journaling ideas! And for many families, Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without a night of apple cider, snacks, and your favorite Christmas movies.

No matter whether you like the classic holiday films or are a fan of the modern Hallmark yearly releases, choose one Christmas movie that always makes it to your “must-watch” list and talk about it!

What’s the plot of the movie, and which characters stand out to you the most? Why do you think this movie is your favorite – is there a sentimental reason for choosing it, or is it simply just a loveable film? Make sure to really think about the movie and what it means to you, and include all those thoughts in your writing!

What is one Christmas tradition that you love to replicate every year?

Another one of my favorite winter journaling ideas that center around the holiday spirit is to write about a Christmas tradition you love to replicate every year. What’s one thing that has to happen every December or Christmas just won’t feel like Christmas?

For me, my family always decorates the tree together while drinking apple cider, listening to Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday, and eating our favorite crackers and cheese tray. It’s something simple and easy that we do every year, but it’s a moment that means so much to me and it’s just not Christmas without it.

What’s an important tradition for you and how do you plan to continue it into the future? Write all about it during your seasonal journaling!

Was there ever a Christmas ornament that you always had to put on the tree?

This winter journaling prompt might seem a little specific but stick with me. When you and your family would decorate the tree when you were younger, what was one ornament that you simply had to put up? This ornament was yours and no one else’s, and you waited for the moment that your mom strung it up on a hook just so you could snatch it from the table and hang it up before anyone else.

For example, my family has always had a few straggler Barbie doll ornaments that we got from my grandmother. My sibling and I would always fight over who was allowed to hang up the Barbie ornament, and it’s still a memory that sticks with me today.

So if you had a special ornament or decoration you loved putting up every year, write about it in your journal! Describe what it looks like and why you loved it so much, and maybe try to figure out if you know where it is now. Bonus points if you still have it and hang it up every year!

Write about your favorite winter food.

With so many delicious seasonal foods to choose from, of course, one of our winter journaling prompts had to be about winter treats. What is your favorite seasonal dish – something you wait all year to buy or make because it only comes around once a year? What does it look like, taste like, and how do you feel when you have it?

For me, apple cider is a very winter-centric drink and something I look forward to all year. Of course, you can get apple cider at any time, but there’s something about drinking it during Christmas that just feels so right. And when I was in college, my roommate would wait all year for the Cranberry Sprite to come back into stores because it was only sold for the last two months of the year.

For an extra challenge, see if you can write your journal entry as a food blog article. Try to go above and beyond to describe how it looks, tastes, and smells, and make sure to include as much detail as you can about your feelings about this winter food.

What is one wintery clothing item that you always wear when the weather changes?

Winter fashion is one of my favorite looks of the whole year, so I had to make sure that this list of winter journaling ideas included one about your favorite seasonal clothing item. Think about your closet and the clothes that come out of the attic when the temperature begins to drop. What’s one item of clothing that always gets you excited for the change in seasons?

What does this item look like, and what makes you love it so much? How do you feel when you’re wearing it, and is it something you’ve had your whole life or something you only found more recently?

(Bonus points if you can include an artistic rendition of the clothing item in question – it doesn’t have to be good, it’s just a cute little addition to your seasonal journal entry!)

If you were writing a letter to Santa this year, what would you ask for?

When you were a kid, asking Santa for Christmas presents was the highlight of the year, and actually receiving those gifts always felt so magical. As an adult, the magic of Christmas can sometimes fade away when Santa’s no longer there to gift you with all your (not-so-secret) wishes.

So this year, when you’re trying to think of winter journaling prompts and seasonal things to write about, try writing another letter to Santa. Tell him what it is you want this year for Christmas – whether that’s a tangible item or something more emotional or romantic – and explain why you’re asking him for this gift.

Maybe nothing will happen, but there’s always a chance that writing your wishes down might help some of them come true this holiday season. Because if I know anything, it’s that Christmas is the perfect time for hope, love, and a little bit of magic.

Do you know of more winter journaling prompts to keep us warm this December? Tell us in the comments!

About Draven Jackson

Draven is an avid writer and reader who enjoys sharing her opinions on movies, books, and music with the rest of the world. She will soon be working as a teacher in Japan and hopes to use her experience to connect with other teachers and students around the globe. Draven spends most of her time at home with her family, her dogs, and her ferret.

To see more, view all posts by Draven Jackson here.