Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
December in Arkansas brings a peaceful mix of chilly mornings, bright sunshine and those first little hints that winter is truly settling in. Some years, we’re lucky to get a well-timed dusting of snow right around Christmas. Around here, it’s rarely much, just enough to sparkle on the grass before the sun melts it away, but I love it just the same. The woods grow quieter, birds gather at feeders, and the low afternoon light gives everything a soft golden glow. It’s a season of coziness. I also love how the holiday season seems to invite the outdoors in. Fresh greenery finds its way onto mantles, pinecones become decorations and even the crisp scent of winter air clings to coats as we come and go. It is a month filled with simple natural beauty, and several of this month’s prompts can be done right from your living room while Christmas music plays in the background.
December Nature Journaling Prompts
- Frosty Morning
- Winter Birds
- Twinkle Lights
- Evergreen Study
- Reflections on Water
- Holiday in Nature
- Bare Branch Silhouettes
- Cloudy Sky
- Pinecone Hunt
- Tracks in Snow or Mud
- Moonlit Landscape
- Winter Foraging
- Deer Paths
- Christmas Tree
- Seasonal Shadows
- Campfire Glow
- Starry Sky
- Winter Textures
- Snow or Rain
- Nature’s Gifts
- Shortest Day
- Forest Quiet
- Peaceful Places
- Winter Wind
- Year (or Week) in Review
How to Use These Prompts
I’ve put together 25 prompts that invite you to notice the quiet charm of winter and the calm that comes with it. Below, I will share a few ideas to help you use these prompts to create meaningful drawings, paintings, or written reflections in your journal. If you are new to nature journaling or want a refresher on how to get started, you can read my original article here.
Prompt #2 – Winter Birds
My grandmother loved cardinals and passed her love of them down to me. Not a time goes by that I see a cardinal without being reminded of her. We are fortunate that they visit our yard year-round, but they look especially beautiful in winter, when their brilliant red color stands out against the bare branches and evergreens. For this prompt, I did a simple bird study, noting different views of cardinals and added the scientific name.
Prompt #19 – Snow
Even if you hate the cold, you have to admit snow has a certain beauty, if only for a minute. Snow is also incredibly fascinating. Just look up Wilson “Snowflake” Bently. He grew up in Vermont, not far from my hometown, and made incredible discoveries about snow through his photographs. I created a replica of one of his photos by drawing a snowflake in crayon and then painting over it with black watercolor. I went back in with a little bit of white gel pen to bring out some of the details.
Prompt #23 Peaceful Places
Inspired by our early-season trip to the Romance Christmas Tree Farm, I painted evergreen trees in a snowy setting. Paintings like this are perfect for watercolor beginners and you can find the full tutorial for this very painting on Instagram at Andrea.Nelson.Art.
Nature journals can be very personal, but if you’d like to share some of your pages with us on Instagram, you can use #onlyinarknature and tag @onlyinark. If you share a post, we may feature it in an upcoming article. Until then, Happy Journaling!
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Julie Kohl
The holidays can be a joyful time, but they can also be difficult for...
Before I even begin to debate over cornbread and white bread when it...
I love driving around rural Arkansas, not just for its beautiful scenery...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment