I’m curious, how do you feel about the holidays? Are you someone who starts their Christmas shopping in June and just can’t fit enough Christmas trees in your house? Or are the Holidays not your favorite time of the year? I admit to having slightly conflicted feelings about the holidays, Christmas especially.
You see it can be SO MUCH WORK, especially for Moms. There always seem to be so many things going on at the same time, and it gets a bit hard for me to juggle them all. Many times I’ve experienced a bit of holiday letdown and been left wondering if I did the whole thing “right.” Was I in a good enough mood the whole time? Did all of my friends feel my love and appreciation for them? Did my husband and kids have a great holiday experience? Is the ballet teacher going to yell at me again for being late again? (Ok… kidding with that last one, but only slightly *wink*.)
Many years ago we experienced a pregnancy loss on Christmas Eve, and I spent that day in the hospital. While it made me ever so grateful for the things about Christmas that you cannot buy, I admit that it did put a bit of a damper on the holiday for a few years. 
One of the things that I love to do at Christmas is make family memory albums. It helps me to remember all of the happy, wonderful parts of the holiday, and my kids and I enjoy looking back at how our lives have changed over the years. I know that even with all of the stress and hustle bustle of Christmas, what’s really important are the memories that we make with each other. It’s one of the things that helps me to celebrate the good at Christmastime. You can see some of my past albums here and here. I want to keep those memories, not just in my head but written down and documented somewhere for my kids to see when they are old and grown. 
Making a holiday memory album doesn’t have to be complicated and is actually really fun! So…people, get those photos off your phone! Print them and put them out somewhere for everyone to enjoy.
Today I’m going to share with you a very simple tutorial for making a family memory album. You can embellish it more if you like or just take the idea of a Christmas memory album and do it in a way that works for your family.
If you’d like to make one, you’ll need:
two 6.5″x6″ pieces of chipboard (you can buy it at the store or cut up an old cereal box),
several pieces of 6″x6″ scrapbook paper, plus four 6.5″x6″ sized pieces for the front and back covers.
Binder Rings Photos trimmed to 4″x4″ (or just print your Instagram photos, as they are already square).
White card stock cut to 4.5″ x 4.5.”
Glue Stick. X-Acto Knife.
Heavy-duty Hole Punch.
Embellishments.
To make the front and back cover of the album, just use a glue stick to glue the scrapbook paper to the front and back sides of the chipboard pieces. Use your X-Acto knife to trim off any excess paper from the chipboard. Then punch two holes in the front cover. Use these holes as a guide and punch the back cover and the inside pages all in the same place.
Now just glue the photos onto the white cardstock squares and then glue those to the inside album pages. Easy peasy. You can embellish as you like and use as many photos as you want.
I included a journal entry as the first page of the album, and then left the rest just for photos.
New York Life (@NewYorkLife) wants to help everyone remember to celebrate the good this Holiday season. Tweet your favorite Holiday memory or tradition and use the hashtag #KeepGoodGoing and #FeedingAMillion and they will donate 25 meals to Feeding America.
Lets celebrate and bombard twitter with happy holiday memories all season! Don’t tweet? Visit New York Life’s website and upload a photo of how you #KeepGoodGood during the holidays.
In addition to the donation to Feeding America, New York Life is giving away a $50 gift card and a $50 donation in the winner’s name to Feeding America on behalf of BlogHer.
For a chance to win, tell me about a holiday tradition your family celebrates!
*Through 1/9/15, New York Life will donate $2.50 for each approved post, with a minimum of $25K & a maximum of $100K.
See full terms and conditions at NewYorkLife.com/CelebratingGood. Find info about Feeding America at feedingamerica.org.
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Mami2jcn says
We decorate the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and go to a local farm to look at their Christmas light display.
Mami2jcn says
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/539579901309751297
Elena says
We like to bake Christmas cookies and share them with family and friends
Elena says
tweet:
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/539613062467035136
Nicole D says
A holiday tradition we celebrate every year is getting together to all go sledding here in Michigan.
Nicole D says
Posted on Twitter – https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/539619624526942208
Kelly D says
My kids and I enjoy decorating the Christmas tree together.
Sharon Collins says
I love Christmas. I always decorated the entire house with my hubby’s help. We have only had one big tree since 2006. We were moving in 2007. I was delayed 18 months going home from the military. There won’t be one this year because our kitchen is being gutted and our master bath is partially gutted. When this is all done I will go back to Christmas crazy.
I had a daughter on a cold Christmas Eve morning almost 41 years ago. We celebrated her birthday day on Christmas Eve. Then had our Christmas om Christmas. She’s still spoiled from those days but it’s not her fault she arrived on December 24th. She made a great gift for my grandparents who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Christmas Day.
I love Christmas. I need room for all my decorations.
Julie Wood says
We love Listening to Christmas Music! We all love getting together making hot chocolate and driving to the Tree Farm to pick up our Christmas tree. We love driving around our town looking at all the light displays-and we have so much fun making our Holiday Cutout Cookies!
Julie Wood says
Tweet Entry
https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/539785343789461504
eloquence says
We setup the Christmas tree with holiday music playing on the first of December.
Natalie says
We have a lot of traditions. Every year we get a real Christmas tree and decorate it while listening to Christmas music. We also decorate a gingerbread house every year.
Natalie says
tweet https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/540207773355487233
OFG says
Picking out Christmas trees at a local farm and cutting them down together.
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
OFG says
Tweet: https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/540677668027793408
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
Elizabeth Johnson says
We all get together on Christmas Eve, watch movies and exchange orniments and pj’s.
Madeline says
Our daughter’s b-day is in December, so right after her party, after family and friends leave, we always decorate the house together for Christmas. Then we have all of our family over again for Christmas Day lunch.
rachel says
We decorate for Christmas on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Break out the hot cocoa and xmas music!
Jessie C. says
A holiday tradition that my family celebrates is baking gingerbread and sugar cookies together.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
Jessie C. says
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/541797001218650113
Rebecca says
We read Scripture before opening our presents as a family.
anna pry says
we always decorate cookies and gingerbread houses together, and string popcorn for the tree pryfamily5@gmail.com
anna pry says
i tweeted https://twitter.com/thepryfamily2/status/542805474303688705 pryfamily5@gmail.com
LaTanya says
picking out our Christmas tree
LaTanya says
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/543057437004025857
tina m says
we purchase same pj every Christmas and take a silly photo.
tina m says
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/543107066617802752
Debra C says
Setting up our Hummel Nativity we bought in Germany many years ago.
D Schmidt says
Our favorite holiday tradition is to make Christmas cookies together while listening to Christmas music.
D Schmidt says
tweeted https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/544242724077969408
Kristen says
We always choose a “wish” off our local giving tree to fulfill for a child or elderly person.
ANGEL JACKLYN says
OUR FAMILY TRADITION CONSISTS OF DECORATING THE TREE & COOKNG THE MEAL TOGETHER!
ANGEL JACKLYN says
2ND ENTRY https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/545361505294643200
Susan Smith says
Our favorite holiday tradition is on Christmas Eve we drive around looking at Christmas lights and then
come home, drink eggnog and open one present.
Susan Smith says
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/545602084284809217
Gina M says
We love to bake cookies together as a family!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
Gina M says
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/545712658583138304
LAMusing says
Christmas morning we bake cinnamon rolls and play holiday music as we open our socks.
Norma says
Christmas Eve we viit friends then come home to yummy Greek Stew!
erica best says
we love to make cookies for christmas
erica best says
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/548591425307164674
erica best says
tweeted https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/548591431745810433
Shannon says
We bake lots of cookies and pass them out to our neighbors!!
Shannon says
https://mobile.twitter.com/shiebs24b/status/548698826693824512
Rebecca Graham says
We bake tons of Christmas cookies every holiday season.
Lisa Brown says
I don’t have traditions right now, no kids, just my husband and i. we do have a nice christmas dinner for two 🙂
Lisa Brown says
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/549239365688246272
Betty C says
When the children were young we had fun with making Christmas cookies, driving around to look at lights and decorating. Now that they are adults I don’t really do anything special. I don’t decorate and the children have developed their own traditions.
Betty C says
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/549255384972537856
steve weber says
We go out for a prime rib dinner every Christmas Eve
Kristen says
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/549438601898262528
heather says
Our family tradition is making Christmas cookies and decorating them.
Ellie Wright says
My favorite tradition is having a treasure hunt on Christmas morning for the kids. We leave clues around the house they follow to find their big gift.
Ellie Wright says
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/550034587192020992
Francine Anchondo says
Christmas eve pizza
Sandy Klocinski says
Get a handful of friends together and go caroling.
Sandy Klocinski says
https://twitter.com/Attea2d/status/550046170945703936
Margaret Smith says
One of our family traditions is the we go to Mass on Christmas eve and meet up with my brother and his family and my Father. We’ve done this for years and after mass, everyone comes to our house for a light dinner.
Margaret Smith says
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/550049456234590208
Thanks so much.
Denise L says
When our extended family gathers on Christmas Eve, the youngest child places the baby Jesus in the Nativity Scene.
Lisa V. says
We go out for a Denny’s dinner after mass on Christmas Eve.
Stephanie Larison says
We put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, and baking & decorate sugar cookies with the kids.
Daniel M says
love the big family holiday dinner every year
denise a says
We bake Christmas cookies together
Ed says
We bake cookies together.
Cori Westphal says
Every year I take a pic of the kids and let them make an ornament out of it! Fun!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Theresa Smith says
We take a name from the sharing tree and donate a gift to a child every year. We bake Christmas cookies with the kids and give some as gifts to those who don’t bake. We open one present on Christmas Eve and we have a ham dinner on Christmas.
Debbie B says
we usually pick out one present to open on Christmas Eve –
Debbie B says
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/550141174946623488
Erica B. says
We watch a lot of movies.
Rosanne says
We have a Christmas Eve dinner for 14, a gift opening in the morning, brunch and then open house Christmas dinner for 20-25.
Rosanne says
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/rosannepm/status/550148358363705348
Barbara Montag says
Our favorite tradition is seeing a Christmas play or show each holiday season.
thank you
Barbara Montag says
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/550161176433143808
Kiara says
We make and decorate Christmas cookies.
austma7@aol.com
Holly G. says
We cut down a tree in the woods and decorate it together.
joni says
On Christmas morning, we put a lit candle in a cupcake and we place it in front of the manger and sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus.
joni says
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/550235762696806400
joe gersch says
our family makes a pizza on Christmas eve
Aaron says
No traditions are celebrated =/
Buddy Garrett says
We have a traditional Christmas dinner with the family.
Chi Shannon says
One of my favorite holiday traditions is when we pack up in the car close to Christmas and drive around town, looking at all the lights and decorations that people have put up 🙂
Debbi Wellenstein says
We usually have our Christmas two to three days early, as our sons travel to other relatives on Christmas Day. My husband and I go out to dinner on Christmas eve.
toddy says
We go around and look at Christmas lights at a local park that sets up lots of lighted displays for a walking tour.
angie says
I love our tradition of decorating our Winter Solstice tree with nature themed ornament and lights that look like snowballs. Bringing nature inside our homes for a month always makes me appreciate the Solstice even more.
angie says
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/550366574171787264
Tabathia B says
We let the kids open a present on christmas eve
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tabathia B says
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/550381143078367233
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Denise S says
We like to bake cookies throughout the season.
maria cantu says
Baking Christmas cookies and decorating the tree.
Thomas Murphy says
We love to bake Christmas cookies every year.
Linda G. says
We attend Christmas Eve church service together every Christmas Eve.
Cathy Truman says
We love to get names from the Angel Tree and purchased clothes and toys for the names of
the Angels we took,
Cynthia C says
Our family gets together for a family dinner of traditional foods and we watch holiday movies afterwards.
Cynthia C says
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/550395791718612992
Kathy Pease says
We like to watch A Christmas story every year on tbs for 24 hours
Kathy Pease says
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/550407490756554752
Candie L says
We started a new tradition this year of going ice skating at the zoo Christmas night. Thank you
WHITNEY says
We eat chinese food and decorate the tree each year
HilLesha says
We decorate the tree together. Simple, yet fun, nonetheless. 🙂
sarah hirsch says
our holiday tradition is to have a big family dinner together
Sarah L says
Going to Christmas Eve service, coming home to hot chocolate and opening one present.
Thanks for the contest.
Sarah L says
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/550451456436731906
Debbie B says
here is the link to my tweet: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/550453143285149696
Cassandra D says
We celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving.