December
Story Behind the Song
Song title: December
Written by: Wayward Milne
Written: 9 May 2026
Original inspiration: Memories of childhood, growing up, becoming a parent, loss, loneliness, and trying to reconnect with the feeling December used to bring.
Musical direction: Created in several contrasting styles. The original concept was slower, reflective and cinematic, while some of the strongest completed demos developed into lively banjo-and-fiddle Irish pub-folk versions.
Approximate tempo: Originally conceived at around 76 BPM, with several preferred completed versions at approximately 108 BPM.
Key emotional idea: Remembering what December once felt like and hoping that feeling can still be found again.
“December” was written on 9 May 2026.
The song is not really about Christmas in the obvious way.
It is not meant to be a novelty Christmas song, a glossy festive advert, or a track about presents, decorations and forced cheer.
It is about something quieter and more personal than that.
It is about the feeling December used to have.
The song came from my own memories: being a child, growing up, becoming a parent, carrying losses, feeling loneliness, and trying to understand why a time of year that once felt magical can later feel distant, painful or difficult to reach.
When you are young, December can feel almost magical.
The lights feel brighter.
The cold feels exciting.
The waiting feels enormous.
The smallest things can feel full of meaning.
Then life happens.
You grow up.
You lose people.
You become a parent.
You see the season through your children’s eyes.
You carry more.
You remember more.
You miss more.
The same month comes round again, but something inside you does not always respond in the same way.
That is the emotional centre of “December”.
It is a song about noticing that a feeling you once had has gone missing — or at least gone quiet.
The world still changes around you. The lights still go up. The season still arrives. But inside, it does not always feel the same.
The song follows that ache.
It looks back at childhood wonder, then moves through adulthood, parenting, memory, loss, loneliness, and the strange sadness of wanting to feel something you cannot quite reach anymore.
But it is not a hopeless song.
Underneath the sadness, there is still a desire to reconnect.
The song is not saying that the magic has gone forever.
It is asking whether it might still be somewhere inside us, buried under time, grief, responsibility, loneliness, tiredness, and everything we have learned to carry.
At its heart, “December” is about my memories: being a child, growing up, becoming a parent, experiencing loss and loneliness, and trying — hoping — to reconnect with that feeling.
Musically, the song was originally imagined as emotional, reflective and cinematic without becoming over-produced.
The first intended tempo was around 76 BPM — slow enough to carry the ache and memory, but with enough movement to allow the song to build.
After the demos were completed, however, my personal preference became the livelier versions at around 108 BPM, particularly those driven by banjo and fiddle with an Irish pub-folk feel.
That energy brings another side of the song to life: warmer, more communal and made for people to join in, while still carrying the sadness underneath.
A slower arrangement could begin simply with piano, acoustic guitar or a soft vocal, then gradually build with warmth, strings, backing vocals and gentle percussion.
Whatever the arrangement, it should not sound like a glossy Christmas advertisement.
It should feel more honest than that.
Sad, but not miserable.
Nostalgic, but not trapped in the past.
Emotional, but still carrying a small light.
The ideal version should allow the listener to feel the contrast between childhood wonder and adult loneliness, before leaving them with the sense that something might still be recoverable.
December still comes round.
About the Demos
I write the songs and lyrics myself, then use demo tools to explore the musical feeling and direction.
The demos are not intended to be final finished productions.
They are there to show what the song could become with the right singers, musicians, producers, arrangers and artists on board.
Original Lyrics
December
Final Lyrics
Written by: Wayward Milne
Date written: 9 May 2026
[Verse 1 — Childhood]
The smell of the season
Snow in the garden
Frost on the windows inside
Tinsel on the tree
Festive stuff on TV
Mud on the radio at night
Brothers and sisters
Pets going crazy
Wizzard was playing again
Gifts we were given
Love was the reason
A memorable time of the year
[Verse 2 — Adult Parent]
The smell of the season
Rain in the sky
Lights on the windows inside
A real festive tree
Only fools on TV
Wham on the radio at night
Sons and daughters
Parents going crazy
Band Aid was playing again
Gifts they were given
Love was the reason
A memorable time of the year
[Verse 3 — Lost Feeling]
No smell of the season
Alone in the dark
Hurting so deep inside
No sign of a tree
Given up on TV
Silence on the radio all night
Walls and floors
Old and lonely
Memories playing again
Gifts they were given
Love was the reason
A memorable time of the year
[Bridge — Realisation]
I used to love it
Grab it with both hands
It slipped through my fingers
Glad it comes back every year
[Final Chorus — The Return (but not a resolution)]
The cold and the warmth
The feast and the fun
It’s December again
The wine and the laughter
The songs that we sang
It’s December again
It’s December again
It’s December again
Written by Wayward Milne
© 2026 Wayward Milne. All rights reserved.
Looking for the Right Voice
The released recordings are demonstrations of what the song could become. December is available for the right singer, musician, producer or artist to develop and take further.
Wayward Versions
Each song has several Wayward Versions, exploring how it can change through different voices, arrangements and production styles.
© 2026 Wayward Milne ™️. All rights reserved.