Right now, all the scrappy blogs, message boards,
and pinterest pages are filling up with ideas and pages of December Daily
books. Many kit clubs offered December
Daily album supplies for upwards of $90. It seems that anywhere I look in the
scrappy world, my month is going to be filled with reminders to do a December
Daily. Let me state clearly, I WILL NOT be completing a December Daily
this month.
I adore the holiday season. The day after Thanksgiving, the tree is up,
like clockwork. I bake cookies with my kids, give them advent calendars, help
them make cards and presents to give.
Our traditions include visiting the zoo on Christmas Eve, and hosting an
appetizer dinner that night. We enjoy a
family dinner with the mishmash of relatives we have accumulated through a
couple of marriages apiece. The day after Christmas, the tree is immediately
taken down so that my oldest daughter “feels” a break between the holiday and
her birthday. I feel like the holidays are
such a whirlwind, and as much as I would like to document every wonderful
moment, I can’t imagine trying to fit in the time between the holiday
festivities and the mundane grind of real life that continues despite the
season.
I am grateful that the lack of documentation blurs
the dreary, rainy northwest days into the bright magical holiday season. If I really think about my Decembers, I
probably have 10 awesome holiday filled days and 21 uninspiring days. I found myself thinking “Do I really want to
document this?” For me, part of the magic of the holiday season it that it
seems like everything is different.
Despite having to go to work, pay bills, do laundry, make dinner, go to
swimming lessons, breakup sibling fights, and on and on, when I think about the
holidays, time seems to mush together the regular with the merry. I suppose I
could rack my brain to find the constant holiday reminders in each day, like
red Starbucks cups, decorations on houses, and Christmas carols. However, I feel
like there is a December Daily trap in which scrapbookers find themselves. It appears
that many people are “manufacturing” magical moments to create a month of
holiday activities.
To me, the idea of creating moments each day of the
month is about as appealing as a daily album with 21 days of the messes the
kids never pick up. Making every day in December magical has to be exhausting.
I suppose that is why there are lists and lists of ideas for December Daily. It
seems empty to me to host activities and events to fill a 31 day album, so I’m
not doing it. I refuse to jump on the
bandwagon on this one. Instead, I’m
going to continue my regular scrapbooking pattern of documenting what is
important to me this season.
If you’re a December Daily girl (or guy), more
power to you! I look forward to seeing your creations. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole
idea, then I give you permission to blow it off. Your holidays will be merry no matter how
many days you document!
