Are you looking for something to do now that Christmas is over? Many of you will say “no way, we are glad of the break.” Are the kids restless and bored? Are they driving you crazy? Well here is a project to help fill in some of that spare time.
Christmas is such a busy time for everyone but after it is all over it is hard to find something for the kids to do so they won’t get bored. Sure they have all their toys that they got for Christmas to play with but they can quickly tire of them. They still might need something to fill in the time.
How about putting together a scrapbook? Doing this as a family can be so much fun. You may choose to make a family scrapbook together or each person make their own. However you decide to make it can be so much fun. Each person can makes their own page to include in a family binder or an individual binder.
This can also be done at Grandpa and Grandma’s house if they spend a few days of their holidays with them.
KEEP THOSE MEMORIES ALIVE
Now is the time to put together a scrapbook and remember those special moments that happened over the past couple of days. It is important to keep those memories alive. It is unbelievable how quick we forget the activities of those special days. A year later it is hard to remember what we did let alone what the weather was like.
LET’S GET STARTED
First you need to decide what type of scrapbook you are going to make. Is each person going to make their own scrapbook? Are you going to use a binder where pages are added? Would you rather just make it in a small notebook, with holes that can still be put in a binder? Are you going to include pictures?
After deciding what you are going to use for your scrapbook you can begin your project.
CHOOSING YOUR SCRAPBOOK DESIGN
Deciding on what you are going to use for your scrapbook is only the beginning. Now you must decide the design of your scrapbook. There are many programs online for making a scrapbook as well as many templates that you can use. There are all kinds of templates on the internet you can use as a guideline or make your own. Just keep your information on a memory stick. By making a template you can go in every year and update the information.
SCRAPBOOKING ONLINE – 100’s LAYOUTS – CUSTOM & EASY
SCRAPBOOK TEMPLATE FREE VECTOR
Your kids may just want to do their own thing like drawing a picture of what Christmas Day meant to them. They could even do a drawing of what they did on Christmas Day. They might want to do cut-outs. Whatever they choose it will still be quite enjoyable to look at it years from now.
If you use templates, sit with your child at the computer. You can type the information in for them. Ask them what they liked about Christmas? What they didn’t like about Christmas? What they ate? Ask them what presents they received and who gave them what? Spending the time with them and getting it in their words makes it much more personal. Down the road it will have a lot more meaning and will be more fun to read back.
Sample Page Done Using Word
Older kids may want to do their own page(s). They can use Word or a Home Publishing program to make them. See the sample here of a page that was all done using Word.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Get together the following items:
Plain Paper – Coloured Construction Paper – Crayons – Coloured Pencils – Pencils – Pens – Ruler – Stickers – Glue Stick – A Binder or Notebook depending on what type you are going to make.
If you are using a binder use Dividers to separate your occasions and page protectors to protect your finished pages.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR SCRAPBOOK
THE WEATHER
Include the weather for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Make note of the temperature and what it was doing outside on those days. Was it raining or snowing? Was it a sunny day? How cold was it? These are all questions that need to be answered for the weather.
It is hard to remember what the weather was like last year let alone years ago. In years to come it will be interesting to go back and see what the weather was like.
WHERE YOU WENT
Including where you went doesn’t seem important now but in years to come it is. Throughout the years people move so the location of your Christmas can change or people pass away changing where you may hold Christmas.
Put down the time you left home, when you arrived and what time you left to come back home.
You can write: We left at 10 am and went to Grandpa and Grandma Smiths today. They live in Toronto and we got there at 12 noon. We got back home at 10 o’clock.
WHO WAS THERE?
List everyone that was there including all your cousins. As each Christmas passes there will be names added and names missing. Sometimes your Christmas get together dwindles out as your cousins get older and have their own families to share Christmas with. Of course you may have someone that is with you this Christmas but pass away during the year.
WHAT YOU ATE?
Include what you ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. It is amazing how much these favourites change as well. Everyone serves different dishes for their meals. Even make comments on what you liked and what you didn’t like. For example: Aunt Susie made her bean casserole and I don’t like beans. Aunt Julie made Jell-O with fruit and I love Jell-O but I didn’t like the fruit.
WHAT YOU DID?
Include all the activities of the day. Did you sit around playing games in the afternoon? Did you go tobogganing or skating? Perhaps you just took a walk. Also mention who joined you for these activities. If you played cards who was your partner? Who went tobogganing or skating with you? If you gathered around the piano to sing Christmas songs make sure you mention who was playing the piano and who was singing.
WHAT YOU RECEIVED FOR GIFTS
List every gift you received and the person that gave it to you. Over the years you will likely notice a big change in what you get for gifts. What we got as gifts is nothing compared to what children are getting now. If you get money for Christmas include a total amount you received and what you did with it.
Even include what you asked Santa for and what he brought. What was in your Christmas stocking?
If you really like a gift be sure to say so. For example: I love my new baking set that Uncle Ed and Aunt Sally gave me. I am going to bake some cookies tomorrow because I got cookie mix with my baking dishes.
Make sure to include as many details as you can because years from now you won’t remember any of it.
FUNNY THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY
Write about some of the events of the day. For sure you won’t remember them in years to come but when you sit down to read them back it will bring lots of smiles and laughs.
For example:
- Uncle Ben wore his ugly green sweater with penguins on it.
- Billy spilled his milk all over the table and he cried lots.
- Aunt Lucy dropped the buns on the floor and Max took off with one.
SHORT PARAGRAPH
Include a short paragraph of the day’s events. Maybe someone pushed you down in a snow bank or you ate too much and had a sick tummy. Include whatever you want to make your scrapbook more interesting.
PHOTO’S
A Sample Page of Photo’s
On a separate page include photos of the day’s events. We used to have albums of photos but now with everyone taking pictures on their phones people don’t keep albums anymore. However, it is still nice to download some pictures onto a page like the sample shown here.
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN INCLUDE IN YOUR SCRAPBOOK
CHRISTMAS CARDS
Include a list of cards you sent and cards you received. If you want you can keep them in your scrapbook but they do take up a lot of space. I kept mine in a shoebox for years but finally decided to part with them.
CHRISTMAS TREE
Write a short paragraph about the tree. Be sure to include where you got it and what kind it was. Write the day you put it up and who decorated it. Write down when and who took the tree down.
GIFTS YOU BOUGHT
Make a list of what you bought everyone on your list. There was a time when I kept all the receipts for the Christmas gifts I purchased in an envelope. I found it interesting years later to see just how little I had spent on Christmas but of course things didn’t cost as much then either.
A SCRAPBOOK FOR EVERY OCCASION
This is a project that can be carried out throughout the year. Don’t limit your scrapbook to Christmas only. Make a page or two for all special occasions. Your Birthday, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, your Vacation and even Saint Patrick’s Day. This can be done as a family and will be memories for years to come.
As you get older you may want to include more items in your scrapbook. Ticket stubs, a program from a special play, a special card etc.
It isn’t hard to come up with things to include in your scrapbook. One thing for sure is your scrapbook will be your scrapbook as it is made by you.
Here are some scrapbook ideas:
35 GREAT SCRAPBOOK IDEAS AND ALBUMS
It doesn’t really matter what you decide on for a scrapbook and how you decide to put it together. What matters is the fun you can have doing it and the time you share with others putting it together.
One thing I know for absolute sure and that is that there will never be two scrapbooks alike. Every scrapbook is individual and a reflection of the person who put it together.
HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!!!
What do you think?