Sunday, November 28, 2010

december daily {my way}


So for a while now, you guys have heard me go on and on about this mysterious "December Daily" book...

"What is a December Daily book??" you might ask... Only one of the best craft ideas ever invented. Compliments go out to the scrapbooking genius Ali Edwards. Seriously... if you ever want to feel truly terrible about your scrapbooking abilities... just go check out her blog. She is amazing. You can read more about the December Daily process and even see some of Ali's albums from years past right here.

The general idea of a December Daily book is to capture your family's holiday memories and traditions by recording and photographing what makes your December truly special. And because Ali truly is a scrapbooking genius (and has the ability to whip up a beautiful album within minutes) she creates the base layer of her album all before December even starts. Maybe, just maybe, one year I will be able to accomplish this... but I didn't do it last year, and seeing how it's November 27th, it's probably not going to happen this year either.

But that is exactly what I love about this project... and what I love about Ali. She really encourages you to make this project your own. Do what works for you.... what fits your family schedule... what makes the process enjoyable for you.

So, that is exactly what I do... make it work for me. This means putting my December Daily book together in January and February... after the Christmas hustle and bustle. I spend most of December jotting down little notes and storing away mementos... just a little something day by day.

This could be just about anything... family traditions... daily events... favorite Christmas songs... Christmas cookie recipes... decorations around the house... receipts from your Christmas shopping... pictures with Santa... your Christmas wish list... favorite holiday drink from Starbucks... a copy of your child's letter to Santa... plane tickets from your family vacation... pictures from your company holiday party... your Christmas tree... the ideas are endless. The point is that no memory is too small. 10 years from now you will be amazed at how much your favorite Starbucks' drink cost and will love to see your child's handwriting change with each letter to Santa.

The point is... this is supposed to be ENJOYABLE. The December Daily should not be another dreaded thing to add to your already hectic holiday schedule... it should enhance your schedule... and magically make it less hectic... it is designed to help you pause and take note of the little things... which is exactly why I love it.

Over the next week, I will show you glimpses of my 2009 December Daily album. (which yes, still includes a few pages waiting to be completed... and that's okay... I'm no Ali Edwards) Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and I will do my best to answer.

1 comment:

Marie@Procrastinating in Pink said...

This sounds really neat...can't wait to see yours!