New Year’s Eve Writing Ritual—Ebeneezer Scrooge Style

Burning the past—on scraps of paper

As another year came to a close, I found myself torn over which ritual I wanted to explore—many exist, from the simple act of witnessing the NYE midnight countdown, to the cathartic act of setting intentions ablaze, to elaborate rituals involving earth/air/fire/water and spirit and more. I finally realized that no matter how we focus a New Year’s ritual, we just need to celebrate (or admit) our core, intentional hopes, dreams, and aspirations. SO, as a literary gal, I sought inspiration from a literary parable, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Why, you might ask, choose a Christmas story for a New Year's ritual? Because the story encapsulates the essential elements for setting and maintaining intentions. I also happen to love the story.

On 123123 (12/31/23,) I gathered with a small group of writers as we journeyed through the Past, Present, and Future. We also shared a cheesecake charcuterie board which is another key to a successful intention setting ritual—share food and beverages when possible!

I hope you find the prompts useful. Adapt them to your purpose as you wish.

I. The Past

We often cling to habits or notions that served us well at one time, but have long since outlived their usefulness. In Ebenezer Scrooge’s past, he felt safe and loved when he worked hard, felt comradery with his workmates, and remained involved with his sister’s life. All of that devolved when he suffered great loss (monetary losses, the death of his beloved boss and his sister, and more.) His desire for security slowly turned to obsession, to greed, to stinginess. We see this obsession represented by a trail of chains attached to his ghostly partner, Jacob Marley, when he appears to warn Scrooge to change. This chain, born of regret and self-imposed limitations, serves as the central focus of our intention-setting ritual.

For the writing ritual, consider your past and what you no longer wish to carry—be it from the past year or from many years. What weighs you down and serves no purpose any longer? In regard to writing, some themes that often arise are: Imposter Syndrome, fear that no one wants to hear our words, belief that we’re TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE for the world. You may write large themes or small hindrances. No rules exist here.

I suggest setting a timer for 5-12 minutes and write whatever comes to mind without judgement. You may consider only your writing life or your life at large. (Some folks feel overwhelmed if they write for too long about what they would like to release. Remember that you can complete this activity as many times as you like—so you can start with one or two things.)

II. The Present

When Scrooge sees what’s happening in the world around him, he begins to capture inklings of the ways in which he constructs his own restrictions. What are the self-forged chains that hold you back RIGHT NOW? In regard to writing, perhaps you don’t have a dedicated writing space, you have lost the joy of writing, you create words in your head but not on the page, you think no one wants to hear your story, etc.

I suggest setting a timer for 5-12 minutes and writing whatever comes to mind without judgement.

(Option I : Once you have written these down, write the most salient aspects on slips of paper and burn them—let the wind take them away.  I suggest burning outdoors in a safe place. Never leave a fire unattended—dashing it with salt water also adds a cleansing element to the ritual.

Option II: Create a paper chain and write what is holding you back on each link of the chain. You may then burn each link as you speak it out loud. For example, “I release my shame about my story.” You may also cut the links, shred them, etc. The act of intent is key.)

 III. The Future

Okay, so the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge a terrifying future where hardly anyone mourns him and this catalyzes a fast and furious personal change; however, this is where I veer from the story. Fear rarely makes for a substantive, lasting transformation, so we’re going for joy!

In this prompt, write a version of your life (or a day in your life) as if the self-forged chains from the past/present have been destroyed. As if nothing holds you back from your dreams and your goals. Write in the present tense, such as “I am sitting in a patch of sunlight in my home office with a cup of tea and my poetry manuscript. The words come freely and easily and I don’t fall prey to excessive adverbs. I rise early and sleep well each night. My cats allow me to eat in peace.”

In this way, you manifest elements of the future you most desire. I suggest setting a timer for 5-12 minutes and writing whatever comes to mind without judgement.

IV. Setting Intentions Out of the “future” writing, perhaps you realize that much of what you envision is possible (a patch of sunlight, cup of tea, sleep, eliminating excessive adverb usage.) You may not be able to control everything—cats will be cats! And words won’t always come easily, but if you take your writing as seriously as you do your health, your hobbies, your other “important” activities, you come closer each day to achieving your goals and your desired relationship to writing.

 What are your primary intentions in regard to your writing?

V. Three Steps Toward Manifesting Intentions

When Scrooge realized he had time to make changes, he felt dizzy with possibility and he didn’t know what to do, but then he began making a list of ways he could improve his situation. “He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions, that his broken voice would scarcely answer to his call.  …   “I don’t know what to do!” cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath; and making a perfect Laocoön of himself with his stockings. “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man.”

Have you been there? Resolved? Set on your intentions? Warm in the glow of promising yourself a change? Then life begins ticking along again and you stop feeling so giddy and resolved? That’s where making small steps toward action comes in! Try to choose just three small, actionable steps you can take this week or this month.

Here are some examples (some small and some larger) that might appeal to you (not all of them will appeal to everyone!) 

1.       Figure out your most productive writing time—first thing in the morning? 2 p.m.? Evening? Use that time to write; make it important.

2.       Set TEENY TINY GOALS at first—such as “I will write for two minutes” or “I will sit at my desk in my home office for three minutes.” Then reward yourself—verbally or with a sticker or with another sort of treat. Reward yourself often with things that don’t derail you completely.

3.       Reserve time in a local library’s study space for uninterrupted writing/research time. (Or just go to the library and use an available space.)

4.       Get better sleep (yep, that’s huge.)

5.       Add writing time to your calendar and send yourself many reminders so that it’s too annoying NOT to show up. Start small—15 minutes or so. Then build up if you like.

6.       Make yourself a room/space of your own to write. You deserve one. You’re a writer. Start small and create a writing altar or a collection of materials you love that feel inspiring.

7.       Do you have a writing “season?” Perhaps you’re more productive in the winter or spring. Reserve an Air B&B, sign on for a Retreat, or set aside a stay-at-home-retreat where you unplug from the world and focus only on your project for a long weekend, a week, or even a month.

8.       Read more. Read a short selection before you write. Read in the morning. Read in the afternoon. Read at night. Read more.

9.       Find an accountability partner. Share progress and ideas; write together; submit to journals, contests, and residencies together.

10.   Make a plan for when you feel a creative block. For example, type up what you have written, read an article you bookmarked, take a walk, do mindfulness meditation.

11.   Come to Wellspring Community Writes on Sundays! They’re free and you can work on any project.

 What are YOUR writing steps?

VI. Take it to the Streets (Community Action)

Just as Ebeneezer Scrooge sent the largest turkey to the Cratchits and raised Bob’s salary and made the “Christmas Spirit of giving” his mantra for every day of the year, when we take our desires and commitments to the larger community, we often feel happier, more content, and less lonely. In applying this to the Writing Life, we can seek out others as we compose our words, join writing classes, share our writing, publish our work, go to readings, attend library events, and more. I would love to hear your ideas about how to share the love of writing to the larger community.

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   Here's to a New Year filled with intention, wisdom, and the transformative power of writing!

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Works Cited:

“3 Ways to Make a Paper Chain.” WikiHow, www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Paper-Chain.

Dickens, Charles. A CHRISTMAS CAROL in PROSE BEING 7>BC(C>AH>57A8BC<0B. 1843, www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Dickens/Carol/Dickens_Carol.pdf.

Murphy, Sean. “Zen and the Art of Art: Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind School of Writing Practice” — an Excerpt from One Bird, One Stone - Lions Roar. 29 July 2013, www.lionsroar.com/zen-and-the-art-of-art-natalie-goldbergs-wild-mind-school-of-writing-practice-an-excerpt-from-one-bird-one-stone/. Accessed 2 Jan. 2024.