Scrapbooking - How to Display Your Holiday Memories

If your family is like most, you have special holiday celebrations and traditions that you do every year. To display these holiday memories, create a scrapbook to show past years' celebrations. Whether your traditions include Trick-or-Treating, going to the mall to sit on Santa's lap for a picture, or preparing a special holiday meal, you'll have fun looking back to see how your family has changed from year to year while the traditions have stayed the same.

First, decide whether you want to place all of the holiday memories for one year into their own scrapbook album, or keep each holiday in a separate album that shows the change from year to year. You can start with your earliest photos and work forward, or start with recent years and work backwards. It's completely up to you; there is no one right way to make a scrapbook.

Now, gather all of your photos. If you're like most people, you've got boxes of them hiding somewhere. Bring them out, and look through them to pick out the best photos. Don't just pick out the portraits of your kids sitting on Santa's lap or smiling in their cute Halloween costumes. Choose the less formal ones of your family gathered together, too. These will be the memories you'll cherish for years to come. Pick the best photos from each holiday to include in your scrapbook.

Don't just include photos in your scrapbook. Gather together loved family recipes for the food and cookies you make for the holidays. If you have young children, include holiday-themed art that they've made at school, like turkeys made from handprints. Collect your holiday cards and programs from holiday events. Clip out advertisements for the toys your children want for Christmas. Anything related to your family's holiday traditions will be a great addition to your holiday scrapbook!

Once you've picked out the photos and other memorabilia you want to use, find background pages and embellishments. You can use holiday-colored cardstock for your backgrounds, or be creative and use scraps of wrapping paper or pieces of Halloween costume fabric for unique backgrounds. Layer different colors and textures to make a unique page. For a handmade Christmas background, try cutting out a green tree and painting on ornaments. Cut out a paper Jack-o-Lantern for a Halloween themed page, or draw a black spider web behind the photos.

Embellish your pages with everything from holiday-themed cutouts and paper punches. You can even find special paste that dries into 3-dimensional glittery snow. Decorating your holiday scrapbook doesn't have to break the bank. You can make your own embellishments, or choose from a whole array of ready-made decorations at your local craft store. Be creative! No two families celebrate the holidays in the same way, and your scrapbook should reflect your unique traditions. Add to your holiday traditions by bringing out your new scrapbook each year, looking through past years' celebrations together. It can be quite a treat to see past years' celebrations and watch your family grow from year to year. Once the holidays have passed, set aside time as a family to choose photographs to represent that holiday in your scrapbook.