Why Does December Turn Sparkle, Stress and Glitter Into an Existential Crisis?

A living room overloaded with fairy lights and ornaments, glitter everywhere, festive excess teetering between joy and breakdown.

What Is It About December That Makes Chaos Look Festive?

“Every December I say ‘one more string of lights’ with the confidence of someone who absolutely does not mean it.”

Monday Bitch #8. When Sparkle Becomes a Survival Strategy

There is something oddly comforting about realizing we are all one glitter particle away from a breakdown.

That end-of-year delirium hits when you are juggling “important projects,” forgetting when you last ate something green, and panic-wrapping gifts like your survival depends on it.

The to-do list sparkles. So does your anxiety. Somewhere between the glitter fallout on the floor and the unread emails in your inbox, a question slips in: is this joy, is this chaos, and does the difference even matter right now?

December has an aura of overstimulation wrapped in metallic paper. Everyone performs their most festive self, smiling like a walking disco ball while quietly hoping they’ve got this.

The art world is deep in post-fair comedown, pretending not to refresh follower lists to see which curator liked their latest “casual dinner” post. The truth is less glamorous. We are all sequins holding it together, professionally committed to the appearance of thriving.

And maybe that is the point. We were taught that having it together means being polished, controlled, smooth. December exposes something else.

The most honest state might be glittering in the middle of the mess. Not dread, just sparkle with attitude. Glitter as a strategy. A rhinestone band aid slapped over a crack you have no intention of fixing this month.

So here is your Monday truth. You do not need balance or Zen or a December enlightenment. Just show up, shine a little, and enjoy the chaos more than you pretend to. Have fun with it, bitches.

When the world is a mess.
Be the sequins.

Monday Bitch | Catapult Uncensored: Honest Takes on Artists & Digital Culture
A weekly column by Dominique Foertig on artists, visibility, digital life, and the chaos behind curated surfaces.

👉 Glitter coping or full meltdown, tell me where you landed this December.
Heart lighter.
Monday Bitch. Every Monday.
And yes, spill your own Monday Bitch in the comments.

Author: Dominique Foertig is the founder and editor of Catapult, The New Munchies Art Club, a Vienna-based curatorial and editorial platform for contemporary art.

👉 Read all Monday Bitches on munchiesartclub.com
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