Sea ice extent grew 2.00 million square kilometers (772,000 square miles) during the month of December. This was about
average for the month. Throughout the month, daily extents were about
one standard deviation below 1981 to 2010 averages. This occurred despite the fairly warm conditions over the Eurasian side of the Arctic Ocean. As averaged over the month, air temperatures at the 925 hPa level in the Laptev and East Siberian seas were up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above average, linked to a region of unusually high pressure in the region that led to southerly winds.
https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
I think the data tells a different story!!