As I got older and moved far from my family, Christmas started to feel different. Some years, my husband and I just stayed home, watched Star Trek, and ate Chinese food. These days, I usually have a small party with friends before Christmas, but I don’t do much more than that. So even though I don’t feel very festive, I still look forward to this time of year for other reasons.

For me, December is not about endings. It’s about getting ready for new beginnings. Here are a few things I look forward to:

Preparing my new planner. I love using paper planners. When I get my new one, I write birthdays and events on the clean pages. I also enjoy thinking about how I’ll use it in the new year. My new 2026 Hobonichi is already waiting for me!

Cleaning the house. In Japan, many people do a big cleaning at the end of the year. I like that idea, so I clean one room every day in December. It feels great to throw away or give away things I don’t use anymore.

Turning my hangers around. Every year, I hang all my clothes hangers the wrong way. When I wear something, I put it back the right way. By the end of the year, I can see which clothes I never wore, and I usually give them away.

Decorating the house. Even though I’m not a big Christmas person, I love the lights on the tree. They make the house feel warm and bright. My husband and I also buy a Christmas ornament in every new country we visit, so when we decorate, we remember our travels together.

The things I enjoy at the end of the year are small, but they make me happy. How about you? Do you have any end-of-year traditions?

As I grew older and moved far away from my family, the holidays slowly lost their magic. After a few years, big family celebrations turned into quiet nights at home with my husband, eating Chinese takeout and watching Star Trek. These days, I usually host a small get-together with friends before Christmas, but that’s about it. So, while I don’t see December as a very festive season anymore, I still look forward to it for other reasons.

For me, December is less about endings and more about preparing for new beginnings. Here are a few things I enjoy doing at this time of year:

Preparing my new planner. Maybe it’s a little old-fashioned, but I still prefer using a paper planner. When I get my new one, I love filling in birthdays, events, and plans on the clean pages. It feels like a fresh start. My 2026 Hobonichi planner is already waiting on my desk!

Decluttering the house. Inspired by Japan’s year-end cleaning tradition, I assign one room per day to clean or organize. I get rid of things I no longer use and try to donate what’s still in good condition. It’s amazing how freeing it feels to have a tidy space.

Turning my hangers around. Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, I hang all my clothes the wrong way. As I wear them, I hang them back normally. At the end of the year, it’s easy to see which clothes I never touched, and I usually donate those.

Decorating the house. Even though I’m not crazy about Christmas, I still love the way fairy lights make the house glow. My husband and I also buy a Christmas ornament in every country we visit, so decorating the tree always brings back good travel memories.

The things I look forward to might seem simple, but they bring me a quiet kind of joy. What about you? Do you have any end-of-year rituals or traditions?

Now that Halloween is over and we’ve entered the last two months of the year, many people get excited about the Holidays, especially Christmas.  When I was a child, I loved this time of year. Since my parents divorced when I was pretty young, the festive season meant at least two Christmas parties and a few New Year's events.  I can still remember the excitement of going shopping with my mother and my sister to find the perfect Christmas dress. 

However, as I grew older and moved away from my family (either overseas or on the other side of Canada), the holidays began losing their shine, and after a few years, flashy Christmas Day celebrations turned into watching Star Trek at home while eating Chinese takeout with my husband.  These days, I usually host a holiday party with friends a week or two before Christmas, but I don’t do much else.  All this to say that, unlike many people, I don’t see the end of the year as a time of festive cheer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t look forward to it for other reasons.

As someone who is addicted to novelty, December is less about endings and more about preparing for new beginnings. Here are a few things I look forward to doing at this time of year:

Preparing my new planner. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but even in this digital world, I still prefer an analogue planner, so as soon as I receive my new one, I can’t help but notice the faults in the old one.  I love writing birthdays, events, etc., in the crisp new pages, and I imagine all the different ways I’ll make use of this new layout (I never buy the same type of planner twice in a row).  As I write these words, my pretty 2026 Hobonichi is sitting on my desk, waiting patiently for its turn.

Decluttering the house. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of year-end cleaning, from December 1st, each day is assigned to a room in the house to declutter.  No drawer or closet is safe from being Mari Kondo’ed.  I feel it is very refreshing to get rid of things I don’t use. A lot of people like to joke that as you get older, it gets harder to throw away boxes and jars because “they’re a really good box/jar!” Although I’m not immune to the charms of a potentially great container, mine usually get purged at the end of the year to make place for ever more perfect ones!  Joking aside, whenever possible, I usually try to sell or donate what is still useful.

Turning my hangers around.  Now, if you’ve never heard of this trick, you might be wondering what it’s all about, but trust me, it’s a great one!  At the end of the year, usually between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I go into my closet and hang all my hangers the wrong way around.  Then, throughout the year, whatever I use is hung back the usual way. As a result, by the end of the year, I know exactly which clothes I wore and which ones were untouched.  Although there are a few exceptions, I usually get rid of what I didn’t wear, but I know some people add another step (for example, put the clothes in a box for another year to see if you’ll eventually look for them before getting rid of them).

Decorating the house. Since I wrote above that I wasn’t that big on Christmas, it might sound counterintuitive to say that I like to decorate for the holidays, but I just can’t resist the beauty of fairy lights in a Christmas tree.  There is just something special about the way they bathe the house in a warm glow.  My husband and I also have a tradition of buying a Christmas ornament in every new country we visit, so as we decorate the tree, we get to reminisce about our travels and discuss future destinations we hope to see in the new year.

As you can see, the things I look forward to are relatively mundane, but for me, these little joys make the end of the year exciting.  How about you?  Do you have any year-end rituals you’re preparing for?  Let me know in the comments!