Last year I decided to try my hand at the hugely popular December Daily project. The idea behind this project is that you document the days leading up to Christmas.  Some folks start the day after Thanksgiving and some folks, like me, start December 1. I LOVED this project and had all intentions of doing it again this year.  Then November came around and I decided that I didn’t need anymore projects, especially the kind that documents my daily life.  I didn’t want to toss the 25 Days of Christmas idea totally so I started looking into Advent Calendars. I noticed that a lot of people are straying from the traditional Advent Calendar, where you get a treat each day, and going for the Activity calendar, which replaces the treat with an activity. I thought about it and I knew that Aubrey was the perfect age for something like this.

I headed out to Michael’s Craft Store during the madness this weekend and I scooped up one of those 4.5×6.5 scrapbook paper pads. I also grabbed the matching elements and two packs of those teeny tiny, 2.5×4 inch, gift bags.  I then planted myself in my craft room chair and got straight to creating.  I will admit the thought of an entirely paper book overwhelmed me a little but in all honesty it turned out pretty decent.

What I decided to do is make each day a 2 page spread. On the right would be my layout that contains the envelope and inside the envelope would be that day’s activity.  On the right I left a blank white page.  My plan is to shoot a photo from that day and then add it to the album.  This gives me an activity + a memory which equals HAPPINESS!

I cut each page down to 4×6 so that I can print the photo out and add it without having to do cropping or changing.  I think this will make the book a little easier to keep up with.

The pages are held together with book rings and this makes it much easier to add my photos.

Here is a little peek at the cover and a few of the activity cards. I am super excited about starting this project and even more excited to see how Aubrey reacts to it.  I did add a few digital elements – my cards and the numbers – I only did this because my paper stash is pretty pathetic.

My List of Activities:

leave cookies and milk for santa
make daddy a special christmas gift
make a special christmas ornament
watch a christmas movies
read the story of the first christmas
read a new christmas book
make nana, papa and grandma very special christmas cards
write  a letter to santa
bake christmas cookies
go through toys and choose some to donate to needy kids
paint everybody’s toenails in christmas colors
go out to look at christmas lights after dark
purchase a gift to give to charity
have a dance party to holiday songs
make a gingerbread house
go ice skating and sledding – our town has just opened a winter wonderland  where they have an ice skate rink and we can skate no matter how cold or hot it is!
drink cocoa from our favorite christmas mugs
wrap christmas gifts for friends and family
make a gingerbread man
have snowman pancakes for dinner
make paper snowflakes and hang them
hang mistletoe
gather canned foods and take to the salvation army
sing christmas songs
open a special early gift

Are you doing a December Daily or Advent Calendar this year?  Link me up to your project I would love to see it!