December is for letting go
It’s December in San Francisco. I’ve begrudgingly said goodbye to the crisp, sunny goodness of Fall, and have come to terms with the holidays around the corner. Yeah, I finally gave in to turning the heater on…(sigh).
With December comes the holiday rush—cars lined up for Stonestown Mall while patience runs thin in parking lots. It’s that time of the year when the collective energy screams MORE—more presents, more parties, more consumerism. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind...but here’s the thing: December doesn’t need to be about more.
It can be about letting go of the stuff weighing you down—the clutter, the habits, the beliefs, and yes, even the people who are taking up too much space.
Like most Americans, I grew up opening presents on Christmas. Mama always found a way to put gifts under the tree, even as a single mom working multiple jobs just to get by. And let’s not forget Santa Claus—I especially loved the presents from that guy. These days, while I still cherish those past celebrations (and occasionally get lured into the trap of impulsive online shopping), the holiday season has taken on a different meaning. Now, I see it as an opportunity to look back on the past 12 months and think—wow, I survived that.
Christmas is more about time with family and loved ones, laughing over a good meal, and belting out the hits on karaoke with wine and snacks in hand. What’s under the tree doesn’t carry the same weight anymore. And let’s be honest—a lot of those gifts end up returned or tossed onto our ever-growing pile of clutter.
We tend to buy a bunch of stuff we don’t need. Then, we hold on to it so tightly because we think we’re missing out on something by letting it go. You know the jacket buried in the back of your closet that you’ve somehow convinced yourself you’ll wear “one day”? Or that drawer full of random stuff you only open to throw in… more random stuff?
Look, I’ve been there. The clothes with tags still on them, shoes I’ve worn once, makeup past its expiration date—unnecessary things I thought would make me happy. But instead, they just piled on to the other stuff taking up space. I realized the clutter in my mind was manifesting as physical clutter around me.
The thing is, if everything is your favorite, then nothing really is. If everything matters, then nothing truly matters.
So with my fists clenched tightly, I began to let go. It started with tangible things: old concert tickets, clothes I haven’t worn in years, books I couldn’t get myself to read, pens I knew I’d never write with because they’re just not smooth enough. Then I noticed the empty space—and it was frightening. Like, what do I put there now?
But then something happened. In the midst of the emptiness, I caught my breath. There was room to breathe. It actually started to feel good, like I cleared space to invite new possibilities. That is, until the temptation to fill it back up with nonsense rears its ugly head. The resistance is real, friends. Let’s just say...it’s an ongoing practice.
This letting go trickled down to things that weren’t so tangible: releasing outdated beliefs and breaking free from repeating cycles I knew weren’t serving me anymore. While this isn’t something you work on only at the end of the year, it forces you to hold up the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Aren’t you tired of the bullshit?’. It’s a chance for self-reflection, which, hopefully, leads to self-awareness.
If you’ve had a heavy year (like I have), the best gift you can give yourself is to loosen your grip and start letting go. Make intentional choices about what you want to carry into the new year—because honestly, the rest doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.
Travel light. Make space for your next chapter.