30 December creative writing and poetry prompts to spark creativity

20 Poetry Prompts and 10 short, creative writing prompts for writers of all levels to inspire new writing ideas during December. A total of 30 seasonal creative writing prompts to weave into your next winter or holiday poem.

Hi everyone!

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December arrived like a soft exhale. The end of the year is in sight, the darkness crawls faster through the days, and underneath the loud buzzing of the festival season, we hear the soft humming of winter drawing near. The sharp bite of frost urges us to turn inward this month and seek out a small flame to warm our hands around and keep us going. For writers, this flame is our passion for the written word.

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December is a bittersweet month for me. It is filled with the loud joy of feasts, family, and traditions, but also with grief, loneliness, and sorrow. On one hand, I celebrate the togetherness with my loved ones, but on the other, I also grieve the loss of my mother 15 years ago. Time has dulled the sharp edges of grief, but it does not take away the ache of missing her. Every year, we have looked for a creative way to keep her close while we celebrate as a family. If you have any lovely or creative ideas for this year, feel free to share them with me in the comments.

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We have joy and grief, darkness and light, hope and endings, all deeply entwining this month. December brims with the paradoxes of life, and for writers, this is a golden time to do some writing or just gather new writing inspiration. Let this be the month where we ground ourselves, honor the year behind us, and start imagining all that the year ahead of us has to offer. Let it invite you to pause, notice, and turn towards the quieter corners of your life while you warm yourself at the hearth of poetry.

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Below, I have gathered 20 poetry prompts and 10 creative writing prompts to help you explore the tension, tenderness, and transformation that is silently woven into the final stretch of the year.  I invite you to play around with them. Bend, twist, or transform these prompts as you pen them into your writing. And if any of these prompts spark something within you, follow it. Even if they are only a few words or lines. Even a  fragment can be the beginning of a new poem.

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Poetry prompts

• Cold palms, warm hearts

• Blue ballerina

• The world is waiting for you

• Wintertide

• Dusted with hope

• Recipe for disaster

• A pocketful of stars

• Wintered words

• When the poets feast

• Jingle bell love

  
  

• Pour me some kindness

• Handle with care

• We keep the light burning

• Luscious laughter

• Winter blush

• The existence of miracles

• Tying up loose ends

• A new shade of blue

• Wooly wishes

• Scent of snowfall

  
  

Creative writing prompts

• Write out your wishlist in the form of a list poem.

• Write a poem about your most precious or proudest moment of 2025.

• Write out your goals for next year through a poem.

• Write a poem that combines an old and a new Christmas tradition.

• Start your poem with the first sentence of your favourite Christmas song.

• Write a poem that entirely plays out around dinner time on Christmas Eve.

• Write a poem from the perspective of your Christmas tree.

• Write a sensory poem on what Christmas means to you.

• Write a haiku about the first snowfall.

• Write a six-word story that describes 2025 for you.

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I hope you will allow poetry to be the hearth that warms you this month. December is not asking us to be productive but to notice the glimmers, name our aches, and gather whatever words carry us through the darker days. So take these prompts and let them be small lanterns that offer you a light in the darkness, and warmth through winter’s chill.

I would love to read your take on these prompts, so feel free to share them in the comments. If you are looking for more writing inspiration, consider subscribing to my free newsletter.

For December, I will also be hosting an Advent calendar filled with daily prompts to help us count down towards Christmas. I will be posting more about this event on Monday, December 1st. I hope you will join me as we weave our words together.

Thank you for being here with me this last month of 2025. I appreciate all of you taking the time to read and engage with my posts! I keep your kindness and support close to my heart. 

All My love,

CoraLynn

You can also find my monthly prompts on Pinterest in an easy-to-follow curated list.

Check out all of my writing prompts on my pinterest here.