26 Blog Topics To Get Through the Holiday Season

by: Carol Bryant

Faster than a one-horse open sleigh, brighter than Rudolph’s nose, and quicker than you see Santa shimmy up and down a chimney, the holidays are here. Whether you rejoice and celebrate, groan and bicker, a little bit of both, or skip the holidays completely, chances are your readers are still tuning in.

In fact, look around at your next holiday gathering: Whether it’s Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas Eve, chances are that someone, somewhere is checking their smartphone, texting a loved one, or perusing the latest news. Welcome to modern times: We take our technology wherever we go.

So keep sneaking table scraps to the family dog/cat/ferret/insert pet here, but if you are at a loss for what to write about as these next several festive weeks roll in, never fear. Here are 26 (one per day for much of December if you choose) blog topics to get through the holiday season. Oh, and feel free to stow some chocolate away in my stocking; I’m not fussy:

50 Ways to Keep Pets Sane This Holiday Season: Better yet, connect with your viewers on YouTube and shoot a 60 to 120 second video with tips and tricks, showing me real life examples with real life pets.

National Dog Show Prediction: Though it is a taped telecast, the National Dog Show on NBC is a yearly tradition for many. Pick your favorites and ask readers to weigh in with their choices. It's on this Thanksgiving Day right after the Macy's Day Parade!

Celebrate National Mutt Day: December 2^nd celebrates the mixed breed dogs across the U.S. – share the word, pick a pooch to spotlight.

Herd a Cat: December 15^th is Cat Herding Day. Say what? Though this holiday is not focused on the idea of herding cats, it is metaphoric for tackling a seemingly impossible task. So give your readers ideas of things that seem impossible but that you suggest they do…and better yet, with doable tasks of how to get there. Want to help cats this holiday season? Here are 10 ways how. I did a series of posts along this line last year for Cocker Spaniels, and they were very well received.

Where to go to escape the holidays: You can’t be alone in feeling stressed this time of year: Show me places I can go to get away from it all…and better yet, make them pet friendly.

XXX Days of Gift Giving: We’re all shopping: In some way, shape or form, we’re being gifted whether we want to be or not. Showcase some products on your blog. Join the Pet Blogger Network with BlogPaws and we’ll even send opportunities your way to blog about!

Holiday Recipes for ___ (insert pet here): Why should people be the only ones who savor the flavor of the season? If you aren’t much of a chef or cook, enlist the advice or guest blogging of someone who is qualified to write about feeding and treat pets this holiday season.

Holiday Party Ideas for Pets: I go to holiday themed parties with my dog; in fact, more than one. So I am not alone in this endeavor. Show your readers how to host a themed party for a pet and his or her friends. Pictures that are sharable on Pinterest serve a double purpose: Get pinned and shared.

The Hottest Pets on Instagram: If someone doesn’t grab this topic, I will. Go-go-go.

The Year in Review:  Get this post done now before the entire Internet is clogged with year-end reviews and recaps. I’ve been keeping a list since January and making notes of things I didn’t want to forget. If you didn’t, no worries: that’s what archives are for. Peruse and get to blogging.

New Year’s Resolutions that Include Pets: Think of any possible resolution you might make and then twist it to include and/or fit a pet’s lifestyle. Going on a diet? Include the family pooch who might be packing a few pounds post holiday. And so on.

Fifteen Naughty Pets: There are many, many fun and silly photos floating around this time of year, many including pets. Show your readers the coolest and funniest ones. Be sure you have permission to publish the photos if you did not capture the original image.

Tour My Blog: Give your readers a tour of what the different components of your blog are. How many of us are in a hurry and just barely have time to skim a homepage or a feed in a blog reader? Use this holiday time to show folks around your cyber crib (do folks still say crib?)

Books, Books, and More Books: If you’ve done any e- or traditional book reading this year, dish the best and even the worst of them – tell your readers why. I often get recommendations for books from other bloggers. For those of you who review books often, why not gather up a best of and favorite reviews for a year-end compliation?

Take Blog Questions: Invite readers to ask you something and then take maybe the best 5 or 10 questions and answer them. Better yet, make a series of blog posts about them. If you have any leftover, save them for the new year.

Traditions with Pets Post: Do you engage in specific holiday traditions with your pets? You might just give a reader an idea by sharing your favorite traditions. We love looking at the different organized light displays and going for hot chocolate as a family. Share these ideas with readers.

Give something away: Do you have some leftover inventory or something you just never got around to giving away as a prize? Host a holiday contest: Something fun, fast, and enjoyable for your readers.

Winter Safety: There is perhaps no topic more timely than tips to keep pets safe in winter. Did you know snow can disorient a lost animal? Your readers might not know this either. Show them how to prevent a problem and how to keep pets safe all season long.

To Eat or Not to Eat: What can pets eat and what should they avoid this time of year? Our friends at petMD have a wonderful library of veterinarian authored posts. Give them a peek, get inspired, and maybe even save a life.

Invite Readers to A Cyber Party: Have readers send you photos of their favorite holiday traditions with their pet. Host a party – perhaps you want to show a series of photos: from the kitchen to the basement of a house, all focusing on a pet in each photo—and all from your readers.

Shelters That Need Help: Why not focus on a shelter in your area or a rescue that could use a boost this time of year? BlogPaws will celebrate December as Giving Month, so feel free to use us a resource. We’re here 24/7/365 with the Be the Change for Pets: BlogPaws movement.

Go Ape: December 14 is Monkey Day, according to many animal-themed calendars.  Apparently this date was born in 2000 and aims to draw attention to monkeys and their evolution while calling attention to their plight in medical research and animal rights.

Pay (or Paw) it Forward: This is one of my favorite things to do. Pay someone a random act of kindness and then write about it. Seriously, do a blog post around it. I am forever inspired to help someone when I read about somebody else doing a kind deed just for the heck of it.

Teach Your Readers: Want your readers to follow you on Google +? Or maybe gain more Twitter followers? Show them home, invite them into your space, and give them a reason to follow you elsewhere. Incentivize and have fun with it!

Holiday Presents Your Pet Really Wants: Fun, photo heavy, brand happy: Go for it.

Show me the Creds: This one might be just the off-the-beaten path angle you are looking for in a blog post. You know how in the doctor’s office, it’s always refreshing to see where they went to school and their shiny diplomas on display? Well, your readers may have no idea what you did over the past year to help yourself become a better blogger. Show and tell them: From attending the BlogPaws Conference to getting your pooch certified as a Canine Good Citizen. Maybe you went to a few expos and seminars. Tell us – I love hearing about other bloggers’ latest adventures.

Got any topic ideas I missed? Dish below in the comments section. Happy Holidays, all!

P.S. Stay tuned for the BlogPaws 12 Days of Gift Giving coming as of December 1st!