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Hey Reader,

Every year, Joe and I have an advent calendar, because Christmas whimsy is not just for children.

This year, I got marketed at by Task Master and bought their advent calendar and it does not disappoint.

All over the box are 24 doors, as you’d expect. But there’s also a door on the back (start there) and a bunch of random little doors on the sides, too.

Instead of chocolate, there are tasks — usually puzzles to solve around the advent calendar picture.

And bonus tasks.

Which is what got me really excited.

They’re little creativity snacks!

The first bonus task was to make the best paper snowflake using only six cuts. That snowflake is now stuck to my office window.

The second, which we got yesterday, is to write the best Christmas cracker joke, then stick it on Insta with a hashtag, and Little Alex Horne will choose the winner.

So I’ve been furiously thinking up Christmas cracker jokes for the past 18 hours or so.

Turns out I’m not great at coming up with jokes but THAT’S OKAY.

I’ve never tried to write a joke before (I’m not that kind of stand up comedian), of course I’m not good at it. But it’s fun to play.

So here’s what I came up with eventually — is it groan-worthy enough?

Ahem.

Anyway — this is the kind of creativity snack I’ve been playing with for my January Uncaged challenge which starts on January 6, 2026.

It’s about showing up for yourself, your words, and your voice. You’ll build a writing practice that’s mindful, intentional, and — crucially — joyful.

Every day for 30 days, you’ll get a prompt, missive, or mini-adventure from me. It’ll take less than 60 seconds to consume (I’ll mix it up — sometimes written, sometimes audio, sometimes video). Then you spend 5-20 minutes adventuring and/or writing. That’s it. No pressure to share, no pressure to be brilliant, no pressure to post it anywhere.

Just write like you mean it.

What you get:

• Daily prompts from me — short, sharp, designed to get you writing without overthinking
• Private Telegram group — for support, accountability, and cheerleading
• Flexibility — 5-20 minutes is the guide, but if you want to spend longer, crack on
• A body of work — by the end of January, you’ll have 30 days’ worth of writing that you’ll love at least some of
• Group debrief call — a chance to reflect, celebrate, and see what you’ve created together
• A sustainable practice — this isn’t about burning out in January and never writing again. You’ll build something you can actually maintain

Who it’s for:

• Writers who’ve lost their sense of delight
• Business owners who need to write but keep putting it off
• Anyone who wants to write more but doesn’t know where to start
• People who are sick of “content strategies” that feel soulless
• You, if you want writing to feel less like a chore and more like a practice you look forward to

What it’s not:

This is not a course on “how to write viral LinkedIn posts.” It’s not going to teach you growth hacking or give you 47 content templates. If that’s what you’re after, this isn’t for you.

The details:

• Starts: January 6, 2026
• Duration: 30 days
• Investment: £75 + VAT (or £50 + VAT if you join before I finish for the year on December 12)
• Doors open: Monday

Let yourself out of your cage. Write like you mean it.

(If you want to get in early reply to this email and I’ll you the payment link.)

Okay, time for the Friday Goodie Bag.

A better use for billions of dollars

I’m gonna have to preface this one with the following statement: Tim Sweeney (creator of the Fortnite video game) is no angel at all, and is problematic in all sorts of ways. People are never only one thing. I’m sharing this story simply to demonstrate that there are other ways for the uber-rich to spend their money — and people are doing it.

We only really hear about the likes of Bezos and his ilk trashing Venice, but in the background there’s Dolly Parton funding reading, Taylor Swift making food banks unnecessary, and this guy quietly buying up tens of thousands of acres of forest and pristine parkland in the states to prevent developers getting their hands on it. He’s working with conservation groups to do it strategically, too.

There’s more than one model for wealth.

This group of people all pretending to be ants in an ant colony

People are so weird and hilarious. I love them. There’s a Facebook group containing 1.7 million people all pretending to be ants in an ant colony and it’s very funny. Want to see the world differently? Imagine what it’d be like to be, say, an ant in an ant colony. Suddenly everything looks wild… and very large.

This, my friend, is creativity and play in action.

Richard Ayoade saying exactly what he thinks

I have a bit of a crush on Richard Ayoade. He’s deadly smart and very funny. And when he presented the BAFTAs he used the opportunity to just really say exactly what he thought of, well, everything. And it’s great.

Then remember that if he can do that in front of a fancy celeb-studded audience and global broadcasting, you can say what you really think on a LinkedIn post. M’kay?

These inconvenient objects

Another little creative thought experiment one artist turned into actual art: what if I took everyday objects and made them really inconvenient? What could you make really inconvenient?

Me and two new friends in an Irish cottage part 2

Louis Grenier has released episode 2 of his BTS coaching series. In this ep he pushes Rob, Laura, and me to define our unique positioning in one sentence; the kind that gives the right clients a good reason to choose them over anyone else. Rob pushes back (with receipts!!) on the segment I think he should go after. Laura discovers a potent trigger event that makes e-commerce founders ask for her help. And I confront why I’ve been hiding from the very people I’m meant to serve.

What I’m reading

Currently reading Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune which is, as always, very entertaining! Also still reading through Eddie Shleyner’s Very Good Copy which is a bit of a masterpiece really.

What I’m writing

I’m refining my 5 minute stand-up set for Bristol on December 14. It’s nearly there, I just have to learn it off by heart now. I’m getting there.

Also writing the email sequence in which I offer January Uncaged to you. It’s full of useful and interesting snippets, so even if you don’t want to join the challenge (which you should) you’ll still (hopefully) enjoy the emails.

Word of the week

taradiddle

noun, informal

• a petty lie — “no grown adult would tell such a taradiddle”
• pretentious nonsense — “these LinkedIn bros with their absolute taradiddle”

Isn’t that a great word? Go forth and use it liberally.

Quote of the week

Isn’t it though? What have you been meaning to start? Today is as good a day as any.

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.