Do you do December Daily?

[crystalbella77]

Anyone make December Daily albums, either physical or digital? The past few years have been so icky that I never put everything into the holiday season so there was never much for albums, but this year I am determined to fill it with fun and magic and special memories! Wondering how you all document this special time of year!

[kelley]

I attempted it one year, but did not finish! I ended up with 5 or 6 layouts about or craft-making, tree setup, gingerbread house making, so it was very nice to have. I don't know that I could pull off a page a day anymore though!

[JenM]

I've attempted it twice and ending up quitting after like day 8. I thought this year maybe I would try to make a digital one and see that works better for me.

[crystalbella77]

Yeah I think it seems overwhelming actually scrapping or putting together a page a day. I think if I do it, I will take photos everyday and then put them together on Sundays.

After much thought and some Facebook chitter chatter, I think I am going to do digital and physical hahah! BUT it's going to be more like scrapping like I normally would and then having a small 4x6 album for Dec with printed pics. *I THINK* I honestly still don't know. lol I'm super decisive!

[britaneejean]

Those that I've seen be successful have done albums already printed and just added photos. They got everything ready in advance so it worked for them.


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[Keely~B]

NO!! The holidays are already too stressful for me, I don't need another thing to do or to fail at. I sure do enjoy seeing other people's though.

[Valgal]

I did a December workshop once, but it wasn't daily. Actually... I think it was just last year, lol!

[calvinawalsh]

I've done 3 digital December Daily albums. They are some of my favorite layouts! Although the last couple of years I have taken the photos and have all the notes of what I want to include, but have not started them. I may or may not ever finish them.

I found the best way to do it is to keep it simple. Select one or two templates where you can add one main photo, a place to journal about the day, maybe a few small photos and add embellishments. If you do just that it is not as hard to keep it up.

[Amanda Yi]

for 2013 i did a traditional 12x12 paper album. that was DIFFICULT. Didn't actually FINISH it until January 2015 LOL. For DD 2014 I do it all digital and then printed for an album, MUCH easier to keep up with!

[Sherri Tierney]

I like the idea, but I haven't done any. I kind of feel like it is overkill for me to go all out and do a scrapbook about just one month. Like the other months will be sad or something... LOL I know it isn't a great way to explain it, but it is hard for me to justify doing it just for December when we like to emphasize every holiday and occasion.

[nesser1981]

I don't do a December Daily, but I do end up with at least 1 layout per day leading up to Christmas. Usually 1 page per day, every 2 pages that face, match, sometimes I'll have a day that has 2 pages. I end up with 50-75 pages in December, usually. I'm trying to scale back this year, we'll see.

[Kjersti]

I did it once about three years ago and it turned out sooo cute! It's a treasure!

[LeeAndra]

Yup. It's my favorite.

You can take a peek at some of the pages I did last year. I don't have every single page posted in this album because I finished a few in January, but you can get a good idea of what I do. I have done two 8x8s and one 6x9 and had them printed as softcover (cheaper!!) books at PrestoPhoto.

2014 C2C Album

The biggest key is that you have to really WANT it. It's basically a scrapbooking exercise program so you have to commit, prepare yourself as much as necessary ahead of time, and then just plow through no matter what.

With that said, it doesn't actually have to be daily... or only December... or only Christmas. You make it work for you.

For me, I run my album from the day after Thanksgiving through the last family celebration (usually the weekend after Christmas). I also ONLY scrap Christmaselated things so when we have a day when something is not actually happening, I am writing journaling-only pages abt traditions, etc. I do NOT make pages ahead of time but I do gather my digital supplies into one folder. This makes me happy so this is the way I do it.

Many other women, including Ali herself, do a mix of Christmas and ordinary things from December 1 through Christmas Day. Many women also don't do a daily account but more like a Holiday Faves (Lynnette's project) or 25 Christmas-y Things album. All of the women who have purchased Ali's kit or one of the mini kits this year are doing pocket pages vs. traditional ones. Most DDers prep at least a few pages, if not most/all, ahead of time.

Do whatever makes you happy AND fits into your life and schedule. Commit to at least taking photos (almost) every day and GOOD NOTES. You can always put the actual album together later/over the course of 2016 as long as you have your photos and notes handy.

DON'T STRESS. Christmas is happy. You should be, too.

[carriesmom]

I do at least attempt a December Daily album every year. I have completed one digital album and gotten about three others done partially. I am doing a physical album this year. I spied Ali's kit last year and really wanted to do a physical, tactile album. So I purchased her main kit and then a mini kit plus with some things I had collect over the year and some new stuff. My foundation pages are done and I am psyched to do this album. I think physical is easier to prep ahead of time than digital and I have found during Christmas I don't want to sit in front of the computer as much.

[clearskies]

I do an 8x8 book every other year. Last time I picked a template and it was so much easier to keep up with.

I do mine similar to Ali...1-25 December, one story from each day, but not always a Christmas story.

I've been waffling back and forth on doing one this year (I'm supposed to), but I think I'm going to do it...it's our only Christmas here in the desert, so I think I would regret not documenting it.

[rach3975]

I've never even considered it. We have a lot of non-holiday stuff going on in December, like DD's birthday and an annual visit from family after Christmas. (They come later in the kids' school vacation.)

I think I'd burn out on *wanting* to scrap Dec well before I finished the album, even if I spread the scrapping out over months afterward. And with all the non-holiday picture taking opportunities we have that month, I wouldn't want to limit myself to the kind of very simple mini album that I'd need to do if I had any hope of finishing. Maybe I'd be interested if I didn't do a weekly page the rest of the year, but I've learned that I can't take on too many projects like this or scrapping starts to feel like an obligation.

[nietis]

I've done the past 3 years, but the last year one is not quite finished... I still have to punch holes on it and have them in order and so on...
I don't think I'll be doing one this year though... I just don't feel like it.

[nietis]

I've done the past 3 years, but the last year one is not quite finished... I still have to punch holes on it and have them in order and so on...
I don't think I'll be doing one this year though... I just don't feel like it.

[MamaBee]

I've done digital DD for the last 6 years... I am a bit behind, I haven't finished 2012 or 2013... but 2014 is done.

2012 became huge - I did a page per topic we did... that is why I'm still plugging away, but hey, great way to use new Christmas kits! 2013 - I got overwhelmed trying to merge 4 kits and reworking templates... than last year I kept it easy, one kit and one template set...

I'll be doing it again this year... its one of my favorite projects.

[marlathrall]

I've tried several times... but never finished. This will be our last Christmas as a couple and I am not even interested in trying! lol.

[Txcorey]

Nope. No interest in documenting anything daily.

[crystalbella77]

Originally Posted by MamaBee

I'll be doing it again this year... its one of my favorite projects.

Since you're one of the seasoned pros, whats your plan for this year? Just 1 kit and 1 set of templates? Do you prep in advance even digitally? Share you secrets please!

[rdjrneace]

My life is so boring that I don't know what on earth I would scrap every day.

I am thinking of some projects for 2016 and was considering doing a book (or two) for my daughter-in-law of one of her kids for Christmas 2016 present.

Newbie here

[scrap2day]

I've done a variety over the years. All digital. One year was close to a real December Daily, although some days may have had holiday activities from one day. One year I tried to do Favorite Family recipes…didn't get far with that one. For a couple of years I did the daily adventures of our elf. Those pretty much got done and printed.

For me it was best if I used the same kit/template and pre made my pages. Made it much easier to add photo and journaling.

It really is fun to look at those albums.

It sounds like Holiday Faves might be more my speed. I'm going to have to look into that this year because I'd like to do something.

[NeverendingJen]

Yep! I have several finished and two almost done. I'll be doing this year too and taking Lynnette's Holiday Faves- we are so not daily people since we don't have kids.

[janedee]

I finished one in 2009 and then did a partial one in 2011 and ended up incorporating into my regular yearly album. I may attempt it again this year as our daughter will be home for Christmas again. When I made my album in 2009, I used a lot of templates and about three different kits (that co-ordinated). It made it much easier to put together.

[Nettio]

This will be my fifth year doing Holiday Faves which captures my top 10 favorite things from the season rather than something every day. I tried both December Daily and Journal Your Christmas and the dailyness was way too much for me. I want time to enjoy the season without scrapping all the time.

[misfitinmn]

I'm tempted - but the one I tried to do last year I still haven't finished. And I can't do daily because I have 3 days a week where I barely see the light of day because I am at work for so long and that's not my favorite part of the holidays, so I don't want to document that. I kind of want to do one this year though - I love what I HAVE completed from last year. I just need to finish it already!

[Lindsay]

Nothing daily for me either, but I have a Christmas album that I add layouts too. I would rather scrap the meaningful stories than day-to-day happenings because other than a few traditions there wouldn't be much to scrap. It has Black Friday and other shopping, wrapping presents, trimming tree, new ornaments the boys added, everyone's wishlist, the gingerbread house, other baking, the boys' matching pj's, etc.

[Nixenkind]

I will try to do a digital album, but I never did it before, so who knows... I hope to have a rather quiet and peaceful december, because my husband will be home a lot more than he usually is, and this could be the only year where that's the case for a long time, so... I'm determined to make the most of this month, and will hopefully get lots of pictures.