The Start of My Daily December book

So, I am just over one week into this fun little book and I am very happy with how it is coming out. I do need to go buy some more embellishments... gasp! I don't have any Xmas ones... I couldn't believe it! I really wanted to put some holly on the giving tree page(Dec 7) and just didn't have anything to use. I need to go turn in my stuff to the Zone for this month - 8 layouts out of my XL kit - so I can stock up then. :) I love to scrapbook shop!!

So, here it is...
I altered the front cover a bit - Annde brought me home a laminated tree to slide in between the acrylic cover and the background paper. I think it adds a cute touch. I might go back and add in some stickles to embellish the tree with lights and ornaments...Here is page 1 (Dec1): My parents always had a tradition of decorating the house right after Thanksgiving. The whole family - all my brothers and sister -would do it together. I wanted to establish that same tradition with Annde. Last year, she did a few ornaments only. This year, she helped do the entire tree and then kept asking to do more "decoratin'" for the next 3 days. She was soooo into it.
Here's day 2 (Dec2): I am totally addicted to holiday music. My husband is so not. This creates conflict in that I am always putting it on (Love having XM on my TV!) and he's always changing the channel within about an hour. So, I listen to it on my IPOD at work or in my car most of the time... starting with the day after Turkey day and continuing thru part of January... I must own like 30 different CDs. (I just bought the Celtic Woman one and it is FABULOUS!!) So, here's a page to document my dedication to celebrating with my ears!
Here's day 3 (Dec3): I wanted to document the Advent Calendar thing... My parents did this with us as kids. I remember them being hung on the wall and getting to take out one per night. We decided to start it with Annde this year as she's learning about time and calendars in school. It's SOOOO hard to only do one day at a time for her. Especially since she has 2 - one is chocolate (her favorite food) and one is Little Pets (her favorite toy)... I can't believe how far Advent calendars have come in the last 10 years! Here she is opening her chocolate one.This is day 4 (Dec4): My mom and her sisters set up a homemade ornament exchange in the family. The aunts would make ornaments for the nieces and nephews instead of buying gifts. I was really happy when I got my first tree because I already had over 50 ornaments to put on it that were unique. I guess you can say that I am not one of those people who puts up the Interior Design trees - the one with all the matching ornaments and garland and lights where everything is perfectly in place. I prefer to have a tree full of love and memories. So, I loved digging out these this year and telling Annde about them as she put them on the tree. Obviously, since I have over 50, these are just a few of them... Mostly made by Mom - she's so talented with a needle, isn't she?!?! Especially when she make 25+ per year! This is Day 5 (Dec5): Christmas cookies! My family really got into this when I was growing up.E Each kid would make one kind. Susan's was those addicting green corn flake wreaths, Jon & Jeff would make spritzer cookies, and I would make chocolate stain glass and just about any other kind my Mom needed help with. It's hard to make that many types but my Mom would make 10+ kinds each year to munch on. This year, my goal is to make at least 5 kinds. We've done the gingerbread ones and sugar cookies are tonight. I will probably also make mint fudge, peanut butter kisses, and chocolate stained glass as well as something more traditional. The recipes actually tuck into the envelope. I need an embellishment or some journaling on the right side to take up that white space.
This is Day 6 (Dec6): My mom always collected Santas. They are ALL over her house during the season growing up. I've carried on that tradition in my house. I own a lot of them. These are just some of the ones upstairs. A lot of them have been gifts from my Mom but I still love the warm feeling he brings to the season. Plus Annde is really into him this year so it's cute to see her talking to him or watching the dancing Santa for a long period of time, just giggling to herself.

This is Day 7 (Dec7): Part of the fun of the holidays is exchanging presents. Its so easy to get greedy. So, one of the things we do as a family is pick ornaments of a Giving Tree. The last few years, it's been the one at my work. But, this year, Annde's school had one that directly benefitted kids in her school. So, I let her pick the ornaments and I bought the gifts and wrapped them for Annde to put under the tree at School. It's a good way to teach her about giving back to the community as well as helping some parents be able to give Christmas for their children when money in this state is so hard to find. Stayed tuned for the rest of the book...

Hope y'all are having a great day!