{"id":13509,"date":"2025-12-03T14:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T13:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/%e2%9c%a8december-magic-it-illuminates-the-darkest-time\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:31:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:31:27","slug":"december-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/december-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"December magic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

– the light in the dark times<\/h2>\n\n

When the days grow shorter and, in some places, it hardly gets light at all, a space emerges that no other month can create: an in-between place full of memories, longings, and little wonders. I often experience December exactly that way\u2014as if it had its own quiet kind of magic. <\/p>\n\n

This time of year carries a special significance. The days of Advent not only bring the glow of lights and a sense of anticipation, but also stir up memories of awkward family gatherings\u2014those infamous meals where I struggle to navigate around the many social faux pas and eventually can\u2019t really enjoy my second helping anymore. The desire for harmony and closeness often clashes with the everyday reality of family and friends, especially during these days. <\/p>\n\n

And yet, it is precisely here that small shifts begin to take place. I notice time and again how much power can lie in a simple sentence: I accept things as they are. Not out of resignation, but rather with a kind of quiet acceptance. As if every experience\u2014even the messed-up ones\u2014were a little pebble on my path, showing me where I am right now and what I\u2019ve already left behind. <\/p>\n\n

And that’s where art comes into play<\/h3>\n\n

It appears like a ray of light on the horizon\u2014sometimes quite inconspicuously, while drawing, gluing, writing, collecting, or arranging; sometimes simply while marveling at an unremarkable detail at the edge of the day. In these moments, a sense of distance emerges. Something becomes lighter. A small object, a found item, or a splash of color is often enough to show me that even the untidy has a place. <\/p>\n\n

I experience art as a form of free expression that cannot be forced. When I let go of control just a little, something begins to emerge that I couldn’t have planned beforehand. I don’t work to prove anything, but rather to be able to breathe again and to remind myself of what truly matters to me. <\/p>\n\n

To me, there\u2019s a quiet magic in that. Something new emerges without my having to fight against the old. I take it in\u2014sometimes with a slight inner nod\u2014and continue working from there. Perhaps that is indeed one of the most beautiful gifts of this time: to look at what is with a certain honesty and let something of my own emerge from it. <\/p>\n\n

We don\u2019t grow because we do everything right, but because we\u2019re willing to turn our own stories into gold\u2014or, for all I care, into collages made of fragments of everyday life and remnants of flowers that seek their own context. <\/p>\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Unfortunately, this work has already been assigned Current works here<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Purple is the joy of life <\/h3>\n\n

And right in the midst of this delicate interplay of darkness and light, a color blends in that suits December particularly well: violet. Or purple, if you prefer a more familiar term. A color of transformation, powerful and mysterious. It symbolizes change during the darkest time of the year\u2014precisely when old stories have found enough peace to finally be allowed to transform. <\/p>\n\n

I remember evenings just before Christmas Eve when the sky would suddenly light up with swaths of purple, as if it had decided to take the stage itself. It was a spectacle that almost seemed staged. At the time, I couldn\u2019t say who or what was responsible for it. Perhaps it really was the coal dust from the nearby mine that cast these intense colors over the Ruhr region. My mother had a different explanation, one that I, as a child, liked much better: \u201cThe Christ Child is baking cookies.\u201d And I was happy to believe her. <\/p>\n\n

Today, I see it more as an interplay between memory and perception. My artistic work takes me a step beyond what I\u2019ve experienced; it lifts some of the heaviness from December and gives it a different form. The darkness doesn\u2019t become an adversary, but rather a stage on which I myself can decide which colors to bring to life. <\/p>\n\n

December sometimes strikes me as a character who can\u2019t quite be pinned down. Perhaps a teacher in purple velvet boots, or maybe a flamingo with violet plumage\u2014a little headstrong and with a subtle sense of humor. A month that reminds me not to judge the unfinished too hastily, not to push aside the difficult things right away, and to make room for what is. <\/p>\n\n

When I\u2019m baking or making little things, this thought often creeps in all on its own. A little bit of that magic then finds its way into the dough, into my hands, into the materials, and later resurfaces in places where I wouldn\u2019t have expected it. <\/p>\n\n

\"A
Star Bird – Pine Seed Warbler on the Ladder to Heaven (unfortunately already taken) See currently available works here<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

I hope you have a time when moments like these can unfold\u2014quiet, perhaps unspectacular, and yet full of little wonders.<\/p>\n\n

\n

If you\u2019d like to see which collages\u2014made from fragments of everyday life and flower petals\u2014have found their own connections\u2014and perhaps take a little piece of this magic home with you\u2014you\u2019ll find a hand-picked selection of my current work here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

\ud83c\udf1fHere\u2019s another magical and true Christmas story<\/a><\/strong>\ud83c\udf1f<\/p>\n\n

Every month brings me new inspiration. <\/p>\n\n

Click here for the other monthly notes:<\/h3>\n\n

October: Time for art<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n

November – Art is dead! Long live art! <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

January – Silent glow<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

February – Diversity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

March – The art of looking<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

April \u2013 Find out what you really want<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

May – …and the Black Magic Pot<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Listen to the podcast on YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The Monthly Reflections are my long-term project that evolves with the changing seasons. <\/p>\n\n

The list of my other projects is here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

– the light in the dark times When the days grow shorter and, in some places, it hardly gets light at all, a space emerges that no other month can create: an in-between place full of memories, longings, and little wonders. I often experience December exactly that way\u2014as if it had its own quiet kind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[360,348],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collage-en","category-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13509"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18682,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13509\/revisions\/18682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hohlweg.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}