Social Butterfly Club 🦋 Community Newsletter

Hello my dear Social Butterflies! 🦋✨

Our little December research is going well. Over the past days, I’ve collected many handwritten notes at our meetups about how people in our community celebrate Christmas — or don’t. Reading through them later was incredibly touching and reminded me how many different ways there are to experience this season.

Some of you have also asked how I celebrate Christmas. I never went to church — my family isn’t religious — but we always had a Christmas tree, lots of decorations, family time, and of course presents. Other than that, we didn’t follow many fixed traditions; we simply blended into the cultural euphoria. I love the lights, the music, the excitement of December.

As a child, I sang Christmas songs in a choir, and that love for the season has stayed with me. For me, Christmas itself is almost too short — it’s the time before and after that makes it special. The anticipation, and then the quiet days “between the years,” when everything slows down and there’s space for reflection and visioning.

This week, I also found myself thinking about how Berlin celebrates Christmas. And the short answer is: it doesn’t really — it empties. While many parts of Germany are deeply rooted in rituals and family traditions, Berlin follows a different rhythm.

From December 24 to 27, the city feels like someone pressed pause. People leave for their hometowns, families, or other countries. Trams are quiet, streets feel still, shops are closed. It’s one of the rare moments when you can sense the bare skeleton of the city. Berlin doesn’t “celebrate” Christmas — Berlin evacuates. And if you’re here during that time, you’ll see a side of the city that feels almost secret.

Now I’d really love to hear from you:
​How do you celebrate Christmas?​
Just hit reply and tell me — I’m reading every message.

Lots of love,
Julia 💙
(Insta | LinkedIn)

PS: If you enjoy what I do, you are very welcome to buy me a coffee.

🎄 Only 4 Xmas Market Meetups Left

Our previous Christmas Market Meetups were absolutely lovely. My personal highlight was the Charlottenburg Market, where we ended up staying together for three hours. I was so frozen afterward that I needed a hot bath to come back to life. 😅 Luckily, the weather is much milder this week, so we probably won’t turn into icicles again.

Here are the remaining Christmas Market Meetups:

• Wed DEC 10: 🔥 Medieval Christmas Market – RAW Gelände​
• Fri DEC 12: 🎤 Karaoke at the LGBTQIA Christmas Avenue (Nollendorfplatz)​
• Sun DEC 14: 🎭 Wedding Market – Christmas Edition​
• Wed DEC 17: 🥟 Heissa Holzmarkt​

🎅 Christmas Party: Final Details

In addition to our plan for everyone to bring a small gift that Santa will hand out during the evening, I’m excited to share a little extra highlight: we’ll be hosting a Best Christmas Outfit Contest.

Whether you show up in a gloriously ugly sweater, sparkling accessories, or a full-on festive costume — this is your chance to add a bit of playful chaos to the night and maybe walk home with a prize. It’s all about having fun, spreading joy, and closing the year together in a warm and cozy atmosphere. 🎁✨

Reminder: Our Christmas Party takes place on Monday, DEC 22 at BarbOx, Oranienburger Straße 65. I can’t wait to celebrate with you all!

🔍 Let’s Build a
Berlin Scavenger Hunt Together!

Next year, we’re kicking off a 🐙 Maker Octopus Community Project: We’re going to create a Berlin Scavenger Hunt together!

The idea is simple but fun: we design a route, pick interesting places to visit, come up with small challenges, clues, and quizzes — and combine everything into a 2–3 hour tour that anyone can take. I’d love to build this collaboratively with you, step by step. Even though I don’t have a date for the Kick-Off Meetup yet, I wanted to share the concept early so you can already start brainstorming and getting excited about it.

Let’s make something amazing together in 2026. 🗺️✨