Why Writing Christmas Songs Should Start in December

Photo Credit: Elena Nikishina (iStock)

I had the idea for this post back in July, when I was drafting a blog post about writing Christmas songs in the summer and how to reconnect with the festive spirit when it feels a long way off. As I was writing that piece, I made a note to myself: this needs a companion post in December.

So here I am.

Because while the industry often expects Christmas songs to be written, polished, and ready months in advance, that doesn’t mean your creative process has to start there. In fact, December might be one of the most valuable times to begin—quietly, gently, without the pressure to finish anything yet.

If you’re curious, you can read the July post here.

Think of this as the other half of that conversation.

Writing Christmas Songs: The Industry Timeline vs the Creative One

From a practical point of view, it’s true: Christmas music works on a long lead time. If you’re pitching songs, planning releases, or working to a brief, summer is often when finishing Christmas songs needs to happen.

But creativity doesn’t always respond well to calendars.

When we try to manufacture festive feeling out of season, we’re often relying on memory rather than experience. And memory has a habit of smoothing things out, sanding down the edges, and turning complex moments into something more generic.

December, on the other hand, is full of raw material.

December Is Full of Fleeting Moments

December is dense with moments that don’t always announce themselves as “song ideas”.

Quiet ones:

– the house settling late at night

– familiar films half-watched while your mind wanders

– that strange pause where the year seems to catch up with you

And louder ones too:

– family dynamics playing out in well-worn patterns

– offhand comments that make you laugh… or sting a little

– traditions that feel comforting one year and complicated the next

These are exactly the kinds of details that can be hard to access when you’re writing Christmas songs in July. By then, the immediacy has gone. The emotional temperature has changed.

But in December, it’s all right there.

Put Your Songwriter Lens On (Without Pressure to Write)

Starting in December doesn’t mean forcing yourself to write a Christmas song during an already busy, emotionally charged season.

It simply means noticing.

Let your songwriter lens observe without asking it to produce anything yet. No chasing rhymes. No outlining verses. No pressure to make something coherent.

Just collect.

– a line of dialogue that lingers

– an image that seems ordinary but won’t leave you alone

– a feeling you don’t yet have language for

This isn’t unfinished writing. It’s groundwork.

Journal. Take Notes. Capture Texture.

Think of December as a time for gathering raw material in ways that feel easy and effective.

The contradictions. The tenderness and the fatigue sitting side by side. The small details that give a song emotional weight later.

At this stage, it only needs to make sense to you. You’re not trying to shape it into something shareable or finished — you’re simply noticing what’s there.

You might: – keep a notes app open and drop in phrases – write short, unstructured journal entries – say or sing things into a voice note when they arrive – focus on sensory details rather than “song ideas”

– capture how something feels, without needing to explain why

All of this becomes invaluable when you return to writing Christmas songs next summer.

You won’t be starting from a blank page. You’ll be opening a drawer full of lived-in moments.

Why This Makes Summer Writing Easier

When songwriters struggle with writing Christmas songs in summer, it’s rarely about craft. It’s about connection.

You can understand the brief. You can hit the themes. But something can feel thin or slightly disconnected.

Notes gathered in December bring specificity and truth. They remind you what mattered, what surprised you, what didn’t resolve neatly.

Those small, honest details are often what make a Christmas song feel timeless rather than simply seasonal.

You’re Allowed to Work Out of Season

Your creative process doesn’t have to mirror the industry timeline at every step.

You can gather now. Write later. Shape and polish when the timing makes sense.

Stowing away those small seeds while the festive season is in full swing might be exactly what allows a Christmas song to bloom when summer rolls around.

If the July post was about finding the feeling out of season, this one is about honouring it while it’s here.

Over to You

What’s your biggest takeaway from this post?

Is there one small thing you might do differently this Christmas that could help your ‘songwriter self’ next year?

We’d love to hear what stands out for you — feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.