This post may contain affiliate links which may give us a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Last year, I bemoaned the arrival of the holiday season – at least from my standpoint as a blogger. I knew that as people (including myself) busied themselves with shopping, baking and other forms of merriment, it could only mean two things for my blog: lower pageviews and a drought of writing topics.
As a person who is prone to look obsessively at things like stats, this was a disheartening reality to face.
But guess what? There are plenty of reasons that the holidays can be GREAT for your blog.
Why the Holidays are Great for Blogging
Here are five of my favorite reasons that I now welcome the arrival of the holiday season!
1) You Need Fresh Writing Topics
By the time December rolls around, we’ve had our fill of talking about our children’s school year, Halloween costumes or how summer vacation drove us crazy. The holidays offer plenty of new inspiration for you and your blog. Think of childhood memories. Funny holiday party stories. The best gift you ever gave or received. There is so much to write about at this time of year!
2) It’s A Chance To Blog Outside Your Niche
If you blog within a certain niche, welcome the lower traffic levels on your blog by expanding your horizons and posting about some new writing topics. If you mainly write about being a mom, post some recipes. If you’re a food blogger, sharing a personal story or two with a holiday twist will be a breath of fresh air. Maybe you’ve got a short story or poem that you’ve been too embarrassed to share on your blog? Do it now! Hardly anyone is reading so what’s the worst thing that can happen?
3) Grab Other People’s Readers with Guest Posts
Everybody’s busy at this time of year, so why not trade off guest posts with a friend or two? It’s a great chance to give and get – and it’s a fabulous opportunity to have another blogger’s audience exposed to your writing – even if it’s small! We featured a great post on how to request guests posts just last week!
4) You Need A Break
Let’s face it. We all get tired of blogging from time to time. But many of us soldier on, blogging even when we don’t really feel like it because we have the “I can’t go too many days between posts” syndrome. Guess what? Life will go on without your blog for a few days. Even a week or <gasp> TWO weeks. Instead of compounding your holiday stress by imposing blogging obligations on yourself…let it go. Enjoy.
5) You Can Catch Up On Reading and Commenting
Almost none of us read as many blogs each day as we’d like to. If you go a little easy on yourself this holiday, and only write when you feel inspired, it will free up a lot of time to read others’ blogs (and don’t forget to share the posts you love!). If you can spend some time reading YOUR followers’ material, it will foster a sense of loyalty from them that even your most stellar piece of writing could ever achieve.
So remember…the holidays can be your bloggy friend, not your enemy. Embrace the season and enjoy!
Your Turn!
Let’s chat about writing topics during the holiays! Leave a comment on this post or head over to our Facebook fanpage to keep the conversation moving.
How are you tackling blogging and writing topics this holiday season? How do you keep your motivation and keep moving forward?
Looking For More Motivation?
If you are looking for more writing topics on how to stay motivated both in blogging and in life, then you do not want to miss these posts:
- 5 Ways To Avoid Blogging Burnout
- How to Write a Blog Post in 15 Minutes or Less
- 10 Blogging Pitfalls You Should Avoid
- Maple Bourbon Apple Pie Recipe - Sep 20, 2022
- Shop Smarter: Thrifting And Decluttering Strategy - Aug 29, 2020
- Cucumber and Hummus Bites - Aug 27, 2020
- 10 Steps To Writing A Book And Getting It Published - Jan 3, 2020
- Create Your Dream Closet With These 20 Easy Tips - Dec 29, 2019
- How To Revive Your Blog After A Break - Jan 10, 2019
- Photography Tips From A Pro Blogger - Apr 9, 2018
- How to Write More Blog Posts, Easily, in Less Time - Feb 19, 2018
- Zucchini Banana Bread - Jan 11, 2018
- Building Your Author Platform - Jan 10, 2018
- 7 Thrifty Sewing Storage Ideas - Jan 5, 2018
- How To Handle Criticism As A Creative - Jan 4, 2018
- 4 Things That Could Be Killing Your Creativity - Nov 13, 2017
- Get Ready To Write Every Day – These Four Tips Will Help - Nov 6, 2017
- Creating Quality Instagram Content - Oct 30, 2017
Wow! Love all the tips. To me as a newbie blogger the idea of the holiday season can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time: So many topics to write about so little time. Sigh. lol. Really found the tip about taking a break and letting go of the ridged posting schedule a great tip for preventing blogger burnout. Thanks
I actually planned a few guestposts during the holidays and I’m planning on catching up on my blogreading ánd bookreading, so I have lots to write about when the holidays are over. I really like the thought of trying something new. Maybe I should do a few DIY’s and/or recipes during the holidays. 🙂
Now that I’m in my second holiday season as a travel blogger, I’m using the end of December to look back. I’ll highlight my favorite destinations of 2013, favorite travel moments, best tips learned (the easy OR the hard way)… whatever else I can think of. It will provide links to favorite posts so that new readers can get to know me as we head into 2014.
Very good post with great ideas! Thank you!
I was actually just thinking about this. I have been trying to get better about posting, and have been doing so until last week. Thanksgiving got me too busy, and thought ti was bad I wasn’t blogging
a great post! Thanks alot for sharing this tips! keep up the great work!
Very good points! Thanks so much for posting.
This year, holiday blogging has been a BLAST! From Labor Day on, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve written, as well as reading what my other writers have to say. What’s been incredibly fun is we’ve added recipes to the mix. Texans are BIG foodies, and since our restaurant reviews have gone through the roof, we decided to implement a From The Kitchen section.
It’s been so much fun to blog about food. We’re pumped about the recipes we’ll share this month, for Christmas and New Year’s…and what’s in store for January, too. 😉
Love this advice! Definitely the motivation needed!
Great advice, Gigi! I love blogging in December for all of those reasons!
My blog pal, Kelly McKenzie, came up with a great idea to partner for posts in December. We are doing a feature we call “Partners in a Pair Tree – Kelly and Mo Celebrate December”. it has been lots of fun to plan and has had the huge added benefit of actually making me think and write ahead of time. This has made for less stress and more writing – go figure! After we are done on 12/25 I think I’ll take the week between Christmas and New Year off. Thanks for helping me realize that’s OK to do!
Very good points! Thanks so much for posting.
Really great call and just what I needed to read. This last month has been a huge drain and so our blog has suffered. This is the refreshing reminder I needed to get back on track. Thanks again.
Gi, you’re so great !! Thanks for sharing 🙂 🙂
Create Unique Bag from Used Jeans
Ha! When I saw the author of this blog post, I was like, “wait, did I write this?” as my name is GiGi too! ha ha ha! But you’re so right. I just need to chill… Maybe, just MAYBE even take a week off? GASP! Now that’s UNHEARD OF! I don’t need to be wrapped up in #s though, it is what it is, and I am happy that everyone is spending time with their families and friends, I should be too! LOL! My blog was at a CRAZY LOW yesterday – Black Friday – and I am wondering why? Oh no I am not! People are spending $$$ not reading blogs! lol
Great tips Gigi! Yes, I need to remember not to stress during the holidays about my blog.
Great set of tips! Thanks for sharing!
Page views drop down to nothing during December, always have. People just have other stuff to do.
My labor of love is my Countdown to Kitschmas (beginning December 1, by the way …). The funny thing is I start getting page views on my Countdown in July – yep it is those Australians and such.
http://www.thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
Face lift Landscapes were recently engaged by a Clayfield client to provide a landscape solution for the front of their property.
Great advice, Gigi!
I’m looking forward to some time of my day job so I can get some projects finished, photographed, edited, written etc for my “I really love it” job – my blog!
I’m also planning the move from blogspot to website. Do you all think the Christmas holidays would be a good time to do this, when people are busy and not reading blogs and therefore less people will notice if I have a few technical errors?
Any comments/advice would be gratefully received!
I love this, thanks for the advice! 🙂
.I think these are fab ideas, I’m a newbie blogger
Yup, I had been thinking about holidays and blogging. I guess, I can take it easy for sometime and take a break, enjoy the season!
My editorial calendar is non-existent. As usual, not a lot going on around here. Once the semester ends for me so does the excitement. Darn it! Definitely going to have to figure out a way to come up with new content. I’m determined to blog regularly in December.