December: Saudade

Hello, journaling friends!

In 2025, our monthly Cafe Analog’s friendly journaling challenge, #caprojectme25, will draw its prompts from beautiful words/phrases from various languages around the world. We think it will be a fun way to start the year while also allowing you to design a spread based on the essence of a word/phrase, making it very personal to you! We will also have three journaling prompts for you to choose from, allowing you to connect more deeply with the month’s word/phrase selection. The word for December comes from the Portuguese word saudade.

Saudade captures a deep emotional state of melancholic nostalgia and yearning for something or someone that may never return. It’s a bittersweet feeling that is both painful and beautiful, evoking a sense of longing for a past love, a lost place, or a bygone era. It is a mix of sadness, tenderness, and wistfulness. It’s a feeling that acknowledges the passing of time and the impermanence of things, and yet, it’s also a celebration of the beauty and significance of those things that are lost. For those who experience saudade, it’s a reminder to cherish the memories and hold them close. We think this is the perfect word as we entered 2026—to remember 2025 fondly and create a bridge between the past, the present, and the future.

This month, create a spread using your stationery supplies or other materials to capture the essence of the word ‘saudade’ for you. If the word is a journal spread, what would it look like? Here are some creative journaling prompts for you to choose from:

1.

A LONGING FOR THE PAST

Reflect on a place or time or other experiences that hold a special significance for you in 2025. Write about the emotions that arise when you think about it, and try to capture the essence of saudade in your words.

2.

A LOVE LETTER TO WHAT’S LOST

Write a short letter to something or someone you’ve lost in 2025, whether it’s a person, a relationship, an object, or a part of yourself. Feel free to express your feelings, and write down how you want to celebrate the memories.

3.

BITTERSWEET MOMENTS

Choose a memory from 2025 that is both happy and sad at the same time. Try to capture the essence of saudade in this memory, and explore how it continues to shape your life today.

December/January are the months of endings and new beginnings, a time when we reflect on the past year and look forward to the one ahead. In December, we’re often reminded of what’s been lost, whether it’s a loved one who’s no longer with us, a relationship that’s ended, or a chapter of our lives that’s closing.

Saudade allows us to feel these emotions, to acknowledge the pain and beauty of what’s been lost, and to hold on to the memories and lessons learned. As we look forward to the new year, saudade reminds us to cherish what we have, appreciate the present moment, and hold on to hope for the future.

Feel free to share your pages and spreads with the hashtag #caprojectme25 if you’d like others who join the project to find yours, and you can also see how others translate saudade into their journal pages! We wish you a wonderful 2026—enjoy making new memories to journal about this year!

love, H.