Years ago I wanted to write articles, but I didn’t know where to start. With thousands of magazines publishing dozens of articles in each issue, the possibilities were endless. While that may appeal to some people, it overwhelmed me. Even after I narrowed down the periodicals I wanted to write for, how was I supposed to break in? Which topic? Which issue? Which column? While some publications have theme lists to provide suggestions, not every publication has one. Still the majority of magazine do follow an unofficial calendar – the holidays.

One thing you can always count on is the need for holiday material. Family magazines, women’s magazines, animal magazines – you can always find holiday-specific articles for your kids, sisters, and dogs. It’s not just Christmas or Thanksgiving either. The whole year provides a variety of special days:

* Mother’s Day

* Father’s Day

* Valentine’s Day

* Thanksgiving

* Memorial Day

* July 4th

If your favorite magazine runs seasonal stories, consider submitting an article. Find out their submission guidelines, and don’t forget to check their editorial calendar. Editors work months in advance, so plan in advance. While we’re bundling up and trimming the tree, editors are getting patriotic and planning 4th of July picnics.

Tap in to your own experiences. That’s the best part of writing a holiday article – even if it means writing a list of ideas about what you can do when you don’t celebrate the holidays, everyone has some type of holiday experience. Don’t let infinite possibilities overwhelm you. Pick a holiday and get writing!