December Indoor Plants: How To Care for Houseplants In the Holidays

The Calendar Year may get paid commission for purchases made after clicking a link on this page. 
This website is for inspiration purposes only. The content provided is meant to spark creativity and ideas, not to serve as professional advice or as endorsement.

December is a strange and surprisingly lovely month for indoor plant people. On one hand, it’s the darkest month of the year, and plant care is at its most minimal. On the other hand, there’s something genuinely cosy and satisfying about a home full of green plants when everything outside is bare and cold. And December brings its own cast of seasonal plants that are genuinely worth celebrating. Here’s how I’m thinking about plants this December, and how I’m getting through the darkest month with my collection intact.

What December Means for Your Plants

December contains the winter solstice, around the 21st, which is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. After this point, days start to lengthen again very slowly at first, but the direction of travel changes. For plant people, the solstice has a real psychological significance. Once you’re past it, you’re on the way back toward spring.

Light levels in December are at their absolute lowest of the year. In northern parts of the UK, Scandinavia, and the northern US states, you might get as few as 7 or 8 hours of grey, low-intensity daylight. As a result, many houseplants are in their deepest dormancy of the year.

The good news is that December plant care is genuinely minimal. Most plants need very little from you this month. Water rarely; don’t feed; keep them away from cold draughts and hot radiators; and maintain some humidity. That’s essentially the whole job. December is the month where less is definitely more, and accepting that is actually quite liberating.

For Southern Hemisphere readers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, December is midsummer. The June and July posts in this series are more relevant to your current conditions.

Watering in December – Almost Nothing

December watering is minimal. For most tropical houseplants, watering once every two weeks is probably sufficient. For succulents, once a month is often enough. For some cacti and very drought-tolerant species, you can skip December watering entirely without any concern.

The combination of low light, cool temperatures, and dormant roots means compost can stay wet for a very long time in December. Consistently wet compost in these conditions is the fastest route to root rot, and root rot in December is particularly dangerous because plants have very little energy to recover.

The soil check is even more important than usual. Push your finger two inches into the compost before watering. If there’s any moisture at all, put the watering can down and walk away. Wait another three or four days and check again.

One thing to watch for, specifically in December, is plants near windows. Cold windowsills and glass can lower the temperature of nearby compost below ambient room temperature, further slowing drainage and water uptake. If you have plants on cold stone or tile windowsills, place a piece of cork mat or folded cloth beneath the pot to insulate the roots from the cold surface.

The RHS winter houseplant care guide has practical advice on watering through the darkest months.

Festive Plants – The Stars of December

December brings a genuinely wonderful cast of seasonal plants that deserve proper attention. These aren’t plants to dismiss as throwaway seasonal purchases. Many of them can be kept and enjoyed year after year with the right care.

Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera) are at their peak this month. If you kept yours cool and gave it longer nights from October, it should be producing its beautiful tubular flowers now. After flowering, give it a rest period with reduced water and no feed before the growing season resumes.

Poinsettias are everywhere in December, and they have an unfair reputation for being difficult. They’re actually fairly straightforward if you keep them warm, away from draughts, and water only when the compost is dry. The University of Illinois Extension poinsettia guide is genuinely useful for keeping them alive beyond Christmas.

Forced hyacinth and paperwhite bulbs started in October should be flowering now or very soon. That first hyacinth scent in a cold December room is one of my favourite things about the whole year. And amaryllis bulbs planted in October often produce their spectacular flowers this month too.

Mistletoe and holly are lovely, but not really houseplants in the traditional sense. They’re worth appreciating as cut decorations, while acknowledging that keeping them as indoor plants long-term is a different, more complex project.

Christmas Trees and Your Houseplants

It’s worth noting that Christmas trees, especially real ones indoors, can affect other plants in December. Cut trees dry out quickly in heated rooms and shed needles that can enter plant compost, affecting drainage. Potted living trees are better in this regard, but they bring their own considerations.

If you have a potted living Christmas tree, it needs to be returned outdoors after the festive period. Living trees kept inside permanently don’t thrive. The RHS guide to living Christmas trees covers how to care for one through December and what to do with it afterwards.

More relevant to houseplant owners is the fact that Christmas trees can harbour pests. Aphids and other insects sometimes come in with fresh trees and can spread to nearby plants. Keeping your tree a reasonable distance from your main plant collection is a sensible precaution.

Artificial trees obviously don’t have these issues, but if you do go real, it’s something to be aware of.

Festive Decorations and Plant Safety

December brings a temptation to decorate plants with fairy lights, tinsel, and other festive touches, and I completely understand the impulse. A monstera wrapped in fairy lights is genuinely beautiful. However, there are a few things worth keeping in mind.

LED fairy lights produce minimal heat and are generally safe around plants, provided they’re not pressed against leaves for extended periods. Old-style incandescent fairy lights get hot and can scorch the leaves they’re in contact with. If you’re decorating plants, use only LED lights.

Tinsel and heavy decorations can weigh down and snap delicate stems. Use them sparingly on robust plants and avoid wrapping anything tightly around stems or trunks. Decorative foil wrapping around pot covers can also trap moisture and impede drainage, so either remove the foil or ensure the pot covers have drainage holes and a means for water to escape.

If you have pets or small children, it’s worth checking that your decorative plants are non-toxic. Poinsettias have a mildly toxic reputation, though it’s often overstated, but mistletoe berries are genuinely toxic and should be kept well out of reach. The ASPCA toxic plant guide is the most comprehensive reference for pet owners checking plant safety.

Using December to Plan Next Year

One of the benefits of December’s quiet plant-care routine is that it frees up time and mental space for planning. With watering taking minutes rather than a meaningful block of time, December is the perfect month to consider what you want to do differently next year.

Think about which plants performed brilliantly this year and which ones struggled. Are there species you want to try for the first time? Which propagation projects do you want to prioritise in spring? What better grow-light setup would you like to invest in before March?

Making a simple list in December means you’re ready to act when the light returns in late January and February. There’s something very satisfying about having a clear plan for spring sitting ready when the growing season kicks off again.

Plant communities online are a wonderful resource for inspiration this time of year. The Reddit houseplants community is warm and knowledgeable. For UK readers, the RHS community forums are a great place to ask questions and share experiences. Instagram and Pinterest are also brilliant for plant inspiration in the dark evenings of December.

The Full Circle – From January to December

If you’ve been following this series all year, you’ll have noticed that December brings us back to almost exactly where we started in January. Low light, minimal watering, no feeding, humidity management, and a general mood of quiet patience.

But there’s a difference between December and January that matters. In January, you’re in the depths of winter with months of it still to come. In December, you cross the solstice, and everything starts moving, very slowly, in the other direction. The days begin to lengthen. The light begins to return. And somewhere beneath the stillness of your dormant plants, the machinery of next year’s growth is already quietly preparing.

Houseplants have a lovely way of marking time. Following them through the year connects you to something seasonal and cyclical that modern life often doesn’t offer. And the fact that a plant you were nursing through January is the same plant putting out spectacular new leaves in May that continuity is genuinely rewarding.

December is the full stop at the end of the growing year. But it’s also the comma before everything starts again.

My December Plant Checklist

December is the least busy month of the year. Here’s what I’m keeping to.

Water very infrequently every two weeks for most tropicals, monthly for succulents. Keep the humidifier running and top up pebble trays. Make sure no plants are placed on cold surfaces or in drafty areas. Enjoy the seasonal flowering plants cyclamen, orchids, Christmas cacti, forced bulbs, and amaryllis. Decorate with plants thoughtfully, using only LED lighting, and check for toxic species if you have pets or children. Use the quiet time to plan for next year and make a spring wish list. And cross the solstice on the 21st with the knowledge that from that point, the light is coming back.

Thank you for following along all year. It’s been a genuinely lovely project to think through, and I hope it’s been useful wherever you are in your plant journey.

As always, the RHS and the American Horticultural Society are the best resources to bookmark for any plant questions that arise over the winter.

How has your plant year been? I’d genuinely love to hear which plant surprised you most this year, which one you’re most proud of, and what you’re planning to try next. Here’s to the solstice, the returning light, and another year of growing things.