Why December Makes Even “Good With Money” People Lose Their Minds

Every year around this time, something interesting happens.

People who are normally calm, rational — even pretty good with money — suddenly feel like they’ve been possessed by a Christmas elf with a credit card.

You know what I mean.

Thoughts like:

• “I HAVE to buy gifts or I’ll seem ungrateful.”
• “Everyone else is spending — I don’t want to look cheap.”
• “It’s December… money just disappears.”
• “I’ll fix everything in January — that’s future me’s problem.”
• “I should spoil everyone… even if I can’t really afford it.”
• “I feel guilty when people spend money on me.”
• “I always lose control at the end of the year.”

And here’s the part I really want you to hear:

None of this is random. None of it means you’re “bad with money.” And none of it is about discipline.

December has a way of exposing the money patterns we carry all year long — patterns that usually stay hidden under routine, busyness, and structure.

The holidays strip all of that away. And suddenly…

• emotional spending shows up
• comparison spending kicks in
• people-pleasing spending takes over
• guilt spending taps you on the shoulder
• scarcity thinking gets loud
• receiving feels uncomfortable
• overspending becomes a coping mechanism
• shame creeps in
• and “I’ll deal with it later” becomes the mantra

December is basically the MRI scan of your money patterns.

Everything you can usually avoid becomes very, very visible.

And that visibility? It’s not a problem. It’s information.

What This Season Is Really Showing You

What’s coming up for you around money right now isn’t about willpower or self-control.

It’s about:

• emotional conditioning
• identity
• nervous system responses
• old beliefs about worth, safety, generosity, and belonging

When you understand why December affects you the way it does, something powerful happens.

Money stops feeling like something that just happens to you.

A Gift for You: The Holiday Money Mindset Series

Because this season brings so much to the surface, I’m doing something special.

Over the next few days, I’m sharing a free mini-series:

🌟 The Holiday Money Mindset Series(aka: Navigating December Without Losing Your Wallet or Your Sanity)

We’ll explore:

• Why December triggers old money wounds
• Why you overspend even when you don’t want to
• Why receiving feels uncomfortable
• Why money feels chaotic at year-end
• Why guilt spending and people-pleasing spike
• Why the pressure to “keep up” gets louder
• And how to begin rewriting these patterns — gently and deeply

This is not budgeting advice. It’s not anti-holiday advice. And it’s definitely not “stop buying lattes” advice.

This is the real work: emotional patterns, self-worth, nervous system responses, and the money stories you’ve been carrying for years.

And I promise — once you understand what’s really driving your December decisions, you’ll stop feeling confused, ashamed, or out of control around money at this time of year.

Coming Up Next

Tomorrow, we start with a big one:

The Hidden December Money Triggers — and why they control your wallet more than willpower ever could.

Get ready. This is going to be eye-opening — in the best way.

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