Aralık gelince yılbaşı planları başlıyor, evde küçük bir kutlama yapıyoruz.

Gelince comes from gelmek = to come.

The ending -ince / -ınca often means when, once, or as soon as. So:

• Aralık gelince = when December comes
• more naturally in English: when December arrives / once it’s December

It creates a time clause that sets the scene for what happens next.

They are similar, but not identical.

• Aralıkta = in December
• Aralık gelince = when December comes / when December arrives

So Aralık gelince emphasizes the transition into December. It feels a bit more like come December... in English.

In this sentence, that fits well because it introduces the moment when New Year’s planning begins.

Yes. Aralık geldiğinde is also correct and very close in meaning to Aralık gelince.

A rough comparison:

• Aralık gelince: a little shorter, very common, natural
• Aralık geldiğinde: also natural, sometimes slightly more explicit or formal

In everyday Turkish, gelince is often the simpler choice.

Because it is the first word of the sentence.

In Turkish, month names are normally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a proper name.

So in the middle of a sentence, you would usually write:

• aralık gelince

not Aralık gelince.

Yılbaşı literally means the beginning/head of the year.

In real use, it usually refers to New Year’s, especially the New Year period around December 31 and January 1.

So yılbaşı planları means New Year’s plans.

A useful note: yılbaşı does not mean Christmas. Turkish speakers normally use Noel for Christmas.

Because yılbaşı planları is a very common Turkish noun compound structure.

In Turkish, when one noun describes another noun, the second noun usually takes a special ending. Here:

• yılbaşı = New Year’s
• planları = plans, with the compound ending

So yılbaşı planları means New Year’s plans.

This -ı ending here does not automatically mean their. It is part of the noun-compound pattern.

Similar examples:

• yaz tatili = summer vacation
• okul kapısı = school door
• tatil planları = vacation plans

If you wanted our New Year’s plans, you would say:

• yılbaşı planlarımız

Because in Turkish, with a clearly stated third-person plural subject, the verb is often left in the singular form, especially when the subject is non-human or inanimate.

So:

• yılbaşı planları başlıyor = natural
• yılbaşı planları başlıyorlar = not natural here

This is very normal in Turkish. English requires plans start, but Turkish does not need a separate plural marking on the verb in this kind of sentence.

In Turkish, the present continuous form often does more than just mean right now.

It can also describe:

• habitual actions
• regular seasonal behavior
• vivid general statements
• near-future arrangements

So here:

• başlıyor = start
• yapıyoruz = we have / we do

Even though the form is present continuous, the meaning is more like a general recurring pattern:

When December comes, New Year’s plans start, and we have a small celebration at home.

If you used the aorist instead, such as başlar or yaparız, the sentence would sound more generally habitual and a bit less vivid.

It is built into the verb.

• yapıyoruz = we do / we are doing

The ending -uz marks we.

Turkish often drops subject pronouns when the verb already shows the person clearly. So:

• biz yapıyoruz is possible, but usually unnecessary
• yapıyoruz already tells you the subject is we

Evde means at home or in the house.

It is:

• ev = house / home
• -de = in / at

This is the locative ending, used for location.

Examples:

• okulda = at school
• işte = at work
• masada = on the table / at the table

So evde küçük bir kutlama yapıyoruz means we have a small celebration at home.

Here bir works like a in English.

So:

• küçük bir kutlama = a small celebration

With an adjective plus a singular countable noun, bir is very common and natural.

You may sometimes see Turkish omit bir, but in this kind of phrase, küçük bir kutlama sounds smoother and more complete than just küçük kutlama.

Because Turkish often uses a noun + yapmak structure where English uses a single verb.

So:

• kutlama yapmak = to hold / do / have a celebration
• kutlamak = to celebrate or sometimes to congratulate

In this sentence, küçük bir kutlama yapıyoruz focuses on having a small celebratory event.

You could also say something like evde kutluyoruz in some contexts, but kutlama yapmak is very natural when you want to mention the celebration itself as an event.

Turkish often puts background or time information first, then the main action.

So the structure is roughly:

• Aralık gelince = time clause
• yılbaşı planları başlıyor = first main clause
• evde küçük bir kutlama yapıyoruz = second main clause

A very natural English-style breakdown would be:

• When December comes, New Year’s plans start, and we have a small celebration at home.

The comma links two closely related clauses. Turkish could also use ve = and, but leaving it out is completely natural here.