DECEMBER SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR WORKING MOMS

Okay… let’s just call it what it is: December has this thing about it.

And no, it’s not the cozy Hallmark vibe everybody posts on Instagram. It’s more like… “Why does everyone suddenly want 200% of me when I’ve got, like, 40% battery?”

And honestly? You’re not being dramatic. This month grabs at you from every possible angle—work deadlines, school chaos, holiday pressure, family expectations, social stuff, money stuff, the emotional labor of keeping everyone afloat… plus the guilt that somehow you’re supposed to be “making memories” through all of it.

So if you’re reading this with your jaw tight and your to-do list giving you an attitude… breathe. Let’s reset a little.

1. December is not normal. Stop trying to act like it is.

Your workload spikes. Your kids suddenly have seventeen “special days.” Everything needs a snack, a costume, a check, a gift, a plan.

You’re not behind. The month is just… extra. Way too extra.

2. Cut what’s not essential—even if it’s a “tradition.”

I always ask moms, “If you didn’t do this, what would actually happen?” Usually, the answer is: nothing. Maybe you’d feel guilty for a day, and then life would keep moving.

So yes, this is your permission slip to quietly drop the things that drain you — the office gift exchange, the fancy baking nobody enjoys, the “fun outing” that makes you want to cry by noon, the over-the-top anything. Let “good enough” be plenty.

3. Pick ONE thing that brings you joy and ONE thing that brings you back to yourself.

December is not the month to reinvent your self-care routine. Choose tiny, doable things: maybe your joy comes from a mug of hot chocolate after the kids crash, a playlist you actually like, or a slow walk just to look at lights.

And your grounding might come from a long shower with the door locked, a few deep breaths before work, ten quiet minutes in the morning, or stretching your back before bed.

Small beats heroic every single time.

4. Expect overstimulation. Seriously. Plan for the crash.

December is loud and bright and crowded. That buzzing, overstimulated feeling you get? Completely normal.

Try little decompressions like driving home in silence, stepping outside for a few minutes of cold air, turning off every non-essential notification, asking your partner for a “10-minute alone time” before the evening madness starts, or putting the kids to bed a bit early once a week (it really won’t ruin them).

These tiny resets keep your nervous system from folding in on itself.

5. Please don’t chase ‘holiday magic’ when you’re running on fumes.

Your kids don’t need a magazine-worthy December. They don’t need hand-decorated cookies or matching pajamas. They need you. The real you. 

Magic lives in tiny things:

cuddling under a blanket
decorating one corner of the house
store-bought cookies
mismatched ornaments
a silly dance in the kitchen

Kids remember warmth, not perfection.

6. Make a bare-minimum plan for the last ten days of the year.

That weird fog between Christmas and New Year’s is built for simplicity. Keep meals simple, pick one laundry day, allow yourself just one outing if you even want one, claim a slow morning where nobody owes the world anything, skip new projects, and for the love of sanity, avoid guilt-cleaning sprees. Let yourself actually… land.

7. Lower your expectations. Lower them again. Now lower them one more time.

Because let’s face it: you’re not supposed to juggle holiday logistics, end-of-year work stuff, family drama, teacher gifts, hosting, wrapping, your partner’s emotional needs, your job, your kids’ emotions, and your own sanity — no mom is built for that load.

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If you remember nothing else, remember this: December isn’t the month to aim higher; it’s the month to go gentler. 

Lighten the plans, lighten the pressure, lighten the load. And let yourself be a human mother — not the holiday engine that keeps everyone else running.

If you want more grounded, practical support for ambitious working moms…

… the kind that names what’s actually happening and offers tools you can use, not just wonder how to use — you can join my email list. I send weekly emails (sometimes more) that sound exactly like this: honest, doable, and built for real life.

And if you’re craving something a little more structured — but still gentle — my Self-Care Workbook for Ambitious Working Moms was made for moments like this.

It’s not a planner you’ll abandon or another thing to “keep up with.” It’s a simple, reflective guide that helps you look at your energy, your boundaries, your guilt, and your workload, and figure out what actually needs adjusting so December doesn’t drain you dry. You can move through it slowly, in pieces, in the tiny pockets of time you already have.