If you’re looking for a way to look back at Christmas’ past, this idea might be just what you’ve been looking for. This idea originally came from my mom, she didn’t have time to write in a journal every day or scrapbook books upon books taking care of our big family. So every Christmas, she would journal about the most magical time of year and give a yearly review on everyone’s life. It is always so fun to look back at what toys we got for Christmas and what we had done that year. She mentioned the good and the bad… so she could look back and see how far she/we have come. When I got married, I knew I wanted to carry on the tradition with my own little family. It started out just like hers, but has evolved over the last few years. Mine almost looks like a bullet journal with some extra flair and depth. Some years, I go all out with colored pencils and stickers and then I barely have enough time to write in it because we moved out of state. Each entry is still special. I’ll show you a few pages and ideas from my journal so you can start one of your own.

Supplies:

A journal/notebook/scrapbook, whichever you like best

Writing tools, pencils, colored pens, etc…

Accessories, you can add whatever you want, stickers, tape, pictures, etc…

Cover Page:

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I add our Christmas Card photo as the cover photo, but it could be any photo from that year.

Bucket List/To Do List:

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To keep the traditions alive, I usually “copy and paste” the same items every year. But things change, you move away from some of those traditions and you add new ones. I like to write them all down at the beginning of the Christmas season and then fill the light bulbs, ornaments, whatever it may be that year as we complete each tradition. Some of our favorite traditions are; St Nicholas day on December 6th, we let the kids open up their stockings (or new pair of shoes); Random acts of kindness by spreading God’s love whether it be paying for someone behind us in line at a fast food place, or handing out gift cards for coffee to random people; driving around to see Christmas lights while singing Christmas carols and drinking hot cocoa; and opening up our Christmas Eve box, with a new pair of Christmas PJ’s and a new book to read.

Gift Tracker/Gift List:

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The only reason I do this is so I don’t get family and friends the same gift as last year. HAHA! It’s also a great place to remember who you got in the name drawing earlier that year. Don’t you love the naughty and nice list? It makes me giggle every time.

Christmas Card List:

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I LOVE to send and receive Christmas cards every year! Plus, writing them down gives me a good head count for next years ordering. I stick with just writing the names to save space in my journal, but you could also add addresses.

Christmas Menu:

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One of my favorite parts of Christmas day, is the Christmas Feast! Sometimes it’s very detailed, and others not so much. Now I’m hungry and feel like I should planning for this Christmas’ meal.

Presents:

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I may or may not have an obsession with Christmas wrapping paper. Ok, I do, I admit it. So much so that I always add a small piece of it in my journal. I wrap each member of the family’s gifts with a different paper, so underneath each square is a list of their gifts. It’s such a fun pop of color to the pages.

Ornaments:

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Another amazing Christmas tradition my mother has passed down to her kids, is her love for Hallmark ornaments. She got us a new one every single year and continues to do it even after we’ve all moved out. I started collecting with when I first got married to and now include the names of the ones we get each year.

Kids Review:

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I started adding our pictures with Santa Clause and a small list of favorites of the season to each year. Favorite Christmas song, movie, ornament, flavor, present, etc.. I ask them to draw a Christmas picture on one page of my journal too. It makes my heart so happy to see the little scribbles and remember their little hands grasping the crayons as hard as they can creating their masterpieces.

Year in Review:

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I simply don’t have time to journal every day, so this allows me to jot a few important dates and events that happened that year. It’s crazy to look back at one year, not even thinking we would have a second child and then boom! There he is on our Christmas card and everything! Or completing everything on our to do list and then finding out days before Christmas that it would be our last Christmas in that area. It can be a highlight reel, but I prefer to add the good and the bad.

Christmas Day:

A couple days after Christmas, I love to sit down with a big hot cup of coffee and fill in our Christmas day shenanigans. What we did, who we talked to, how early the kids woke up, etc. That’s the only real journal part of the book.

Other Ideas for own Christmas Journal:

• Baking List
• Mood Tracker
• Holiday Budget
• Doodles
• Movie List
• etc…

It’s never too late to start on your own Christmas journal! I’m sure you can look back at your social media posts and gather enough info from years past to start your own. It’ll be such a great keepsake one day! If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below. I would love to help!

And don’t forget to tag @amagicalkingdomcalledhome when you make one, I can’t wait to see it!

Esther