Keeping Your Staff Motivated During the Holiday Slump

Jessica Carrera
4 days ago
3 min read

A tired and disengaged student sits near a Christmas tree

As the semester winds down and winter concerts, finals, and holiday events sweep through the calendar, yearbook production often swirls into a December drift. Students feel stretched thin. Deadlines loom like snow clouds. Layouts sit untouched. And advisers, who have already been carrying the load since August, can feel their own creative energy flickering.

The “holiday slump” is real, but it can also be an opportunity to recalibrate your team and bring them into January refreshed rather than overwhelmed.

Here’s how yearbook advisers can keep staff motivated when the season gets sluggish.

1. Acknowledge the Slowdown — Don’t Fight It

Yearbook students aren’t just editors; they’re students with tests, family obligations, and other extracurriculars fighting for oxygen. Start a meeting by naming this reality:

“This is the toughest month of the year. Let’s adjust our pace and plan intentionally.”

A simple acknowledgment can reduce stress and build trust.

2. Refresh Purpose, Not Increase Pressure

When energy dips, refocus your team on the core reason they’re creating a yearbook:

Capturing the school’s story
Documenting moments classmates might miss
Leaving behind a piece of history
Creating something they’ll hold years from now

Purpose fuels people far more effectively than alarms or strict deadlines.

3. Create Micro-Wins That Break Through the Fog

Full-page spreads feel like mountains in December. Instead:

Assign just the captions
Review a single photo gallery
Edit one headline
Finalize a color or font choice
Fix typos on a finished spread

Give students wins that feel achievable. Momentum begins with micro steps.

4. Build a Warm Studio Atmosphere

A cozy environment transforms the room’s energy. Consider:

Hot cocoa or peppermint tea during workdays
A “quiet creation” hour with soft background music
A holiday playlist made by the staff
Festive decorations around the computers

A relaxed setting helps students openly and creatively express themselves.

5. Integrate Low-Stress Team Activities

December isn’t ideal for heavy production pushes. Instead:

Hold a slideshow of the funniest photos taken this semester
Run a 10-minute “caption-writing challenge.”
Do a quick round of “favorite memory from this fall.”
Host a mini white-elephant exchange with $1 items
Share a montage of great spreads from last year for inspiration

These micro-moments knit your team closer.

6. Set a Clear, Simple Pre-Break Checklist

Ambiguity kills motivation. Give students a short, realistic list of what must be done before break, such as:

Complete portrait flow pages
Finalize club spreads already assigned
Submit winter sports photos
Confirm deadlines for January

Anything beyond those essentials should wait.

7. Celebrate Effort, Not Just Achievement

Yearbook work is invisible labor: interviews, late-night emails, photo-sorting, caption writing. Recognize it openly. Try:

A quick “shout-out” segment in class
A note on the board praising a student’s contribution
Small thank-you cards or sticky notes
A “Most Improved Designer” or “Caption Wizard” mini-award

Validation keeps students invested.

8. Plant Seeds for January (Without Overloading December)

Keep it light. Motivate with curiosity, not pressure:

“Next semester, you’ll be able to try Adobe tools you haven’t used yet.”
“We’ll be starting our spring storytelling coverage right after break.”

Plant seeds without overwhelming the soil.

9. Model the Pace You Want to See

Your mood sets the tone for the room.

Take breathers. Delegate when possible. Bring in student leaders to manage peer-to-peer tasks. And don’t carry every unfinished page into winter break. Your staff will mirror your calm or your burnout.

Closing Thought

The holiday slump doesn’t mean your yearbook team is losing steam. It’s simply a seasonal slowdown that invites gentler pacing, clearer structure, and intentional connection. When advisers guide their staff through December with warmth and clarity, students return from break not just ready to work, but excited to create.

Image of Jessica Carrera, a United Yearbook representative.

Contributor: Jessica Carrera, Associate Editor at TSE Worldwide Press and Marketing Coordinator at United Yearbook, holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing from Biola University. She aspires to touch the lives of others through her words.

Editor: Donna Ladner obtained a B.A. in Education and a minor in English from California Baptist University, and a M.S. in ESL from USC, Los Angeles. After she married Daniel, their family moved to Indonesia with a non-profit organization and lived cross-culturally for 15 years before returning to the U.S in 2012. Donna has been working as an editor and proofreader for TSE Worldwide Press and its subsidiary, United Yearbook since 2015.