Holidays can famously bring out the best and worst in human behavior, and that is exactly why they are a fertile time for writers.

We witness Aunt Marge refuse her annual holiday dinner invitation because of a disagreement she had with your mom in 1986. We watch as 40-year-old cousin Clayton once again retreats to the basement to play video games. We laugh more than we have the entire year at the family Christmas song karaoke contest. It’s all there.

For writer’s, this isn’t a problem. It’s material.

Every gathering becomes a small stage where coping mechanisms perform. Pay attention to who fills silence, who polices tradition, who disappears into dishes or drinks or distraction. These aren’t flaws—they’re strategies. And strategies are where character lives.

Notice the body before the story: clenched jaws, doorway hovering, over-loud laughter, tears. You don’t need to interpret, just collect details. Meaning comes later.

As the year turns, resist the urge to overanalyze what the holidays reveal. Instead, write from it.

A New Year Writing Invitation:

Choose one uncomfortable, or wildly sentimental, holiday moment. Describe it in plain language, then rewrite it from another point of view—or place it in another time.

May the new year bring closer observations by staying close to what’s real. That’s where the writing lives.

Ellis Elliott, Writer, Member of Old Scratch Press Collective, Author of Break in the Field and A Witch Awakens: A Fire Circle Mystery

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Writing Guide at http://Bewildernesswriting.com