Holiday Writing Break

The month of December is almost a shut-out for writing. At least, it always seems to end up that way for me. So what do I do as a writer during December? I catch up on tons of things I can't seem to keep up with when I'm writing.

Happy Holidays?

I stay pretty busy all the time, if not in actual physical busyness, then certainly in my head. I guess that's probably a result of just being a mom, first of all, and a homeschool mom second. I also love crafting projects. I sometimes wonder in all the chaos what's so happy about the holiday season. And then I remember...

...the warmth of a fire. OK, so ours is an electric fire. I still enjoy it. :)

...the scents of the season. Who else loves the scent of cloved oranges?

...the sights of the season. I love, love, LOVE to decorate the Christmas tree and go driving around the local neighborhoods to view holiday decorations. When I was a kid, I used to lay under our Christmas tree and look up through the branches at all the colorful lights. As I got older and my vision got worse, the lights just became these little sparkling orbs without my glasses. I thought it might actually be a blessing to have poor vision if the lights became such pretty things. But then school would start up again... Yeah... (Anyway, check out my writing buddy who decided to be my wrapping buddy for a little while. LOL)

So what does all this have to do with writing?

When I write, sometimes it's hard to remember I'm seeing everything play out in my head but no one else can see it. Or hear it. Or feel it. In writing, every nuance of the action must be conveyed in the written (or typed) word. So all those experiences I build up in the story of my life, I can use each one of them to create a story readers will be better able to relate to.

The Christmas trees I used to lay under as a child, they were real. Always a pine or cedar tree. Always cut down by my dad from our own property. The pungent scent filled the house along with the scent of Christmas dinners cooking and the sounds of laughter and song. At least, most of the time there was laughter and song. :) And warmth, there was always warmth. My mom hates being cold and now that I'm older, so do I, though I'm not quite as sensitive to it as she is.

What things do you remember vividly from your life? How can/do you use those to enhance your writing? If you'd care to share, I'd love to read about your experiences in the comments below.