Your December Baby's Birth Flowers Sure Will Give You a Reason to Celebrate (2024)

December marks the start of the winter season. While you might expect snow and chilly nights, if you welcomed a baby this month, they are sure to warm you up. Your December baby is destined to be an optimistic, cheerful child who inspires hope on the darkest days.

What are the December birth flowers?

If you have a December baby, her birth flowers are the pristine paperwhite and festive holly. Just as these flowers bring new life and cheer in the coldest months, when it comes to predicting (or celebrating) your young one's personality, they offer a wonderful vision: an easy-going, adaptable child whose sunny disposition inspires hope in everyone she meets.

Paperwhites: Flourishing amidst the winter

While all members of the narcissus family — think daffodils — are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring, paperwhites actually have a special trick up their sleeve. These flowers are super easy to “force” indoors — meaning paperwhites can flower any time of year. And what better to accompany you through the winter months than some bright white blooms?^[1] Perhaps because of their ability to bloom year-round, especially when other plants are dormant for winter, paperwhites have come to symbolize rebirth and new hope.^[2]

You can expect your December baby to be adaptable and, just like the paperwhite, able to flourish in almost any situation. As she grows up, you’ll always be able to turn to her for a fresh perspective, and you will love experiencing the world anew through her eyes. If this doesn’t give you new hope, her infectious optimism certainly will.^[3]

Holly: A symbol of joy and good cheer

You’ve probably heard this one before: deck the halls with boughs of holly. So it should come as no surprise that one of December’s birth flowers is holly. While you may be more familiar with holly’s winter appearance — shiny, evergreen leaves and red berries — holly’s sweet-smelling white blooms are also a special sight each spring. In winter though, these bright green and red trees sustain wildlife when other plants slumber and provide some cheery color in a wintery landscape. They’re a symbol of hope and joy to come. For this reason, holly became an important fixture in Roman and pagan holidays (Saturnalia and Yuletide) and was later adopted into the celebration of Christmas as well.

Holly children light up every room they enter — they give everyone a reason to celebrate. And as she continues to grow into her cheerful disposition, you won't be surprised when your little one teaches you how to find joy where you’d least expect it.

Incorporating paperwhites and holly into your family's life

Add some festive, year-round pops of green and white to your home with your December baby's birth flowers. Not only are they pretty, seeing them around your space is a fun way to honor your baby’s spunky, yet joyous soul.

• Bring in the paperwhites. Grow a live bouquet any time of year (especially December!). All you need to “force” paperwhites indoors are three bulbs, clean pebbles, a shallow container and water. Feel free to place the whole project in your favorite ceramic pot or basket for some extra flare.

• Tackle some simple landscaping. Holly trees are easy to grow in a wide range of climates, plus they provide beautiful foliage, seasonal fruits and of course, flowers. American holly grows from Massachusetts to Florida, and all the way west to Texas and Missouri, but if you're not in their native range, there are still plenty of other varieties to experiment with.

• Deck the nursery. Grab your glue gun and try out this minimalist felt holly wreath for some year-round nursery decor, or try your hand at a fresh holly wreath come winter. Rather skip the DIY? It’s easiest to find fresh holly decor at your local florist exactly when you’d want it: December!

• Have some fun in the kitchen. While there are many holly-themed sweet treats to bake this time of year, these holly wreath cookies are easy to make and perfect to whip up with your favorite preschool sous chef.

• Try a family art project. Need a rainy day activity to keep your little one entertained? Try out this coffee-filter holly garland craft. Your toddler will love turning their marker drawings into watercolor with a few (ok, a lot of) spritzes of water!

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