The above image is the totality of what I accomplished with my 2013 December Daily album. I knew I had set myself up for failure -- I decided on November 30 that I wanted to do an album. I did what you see above that afternoon, and then I really didn't touch it again until I dismantled the album on January 3.
There are a number of reasons I failed with this project.
1. I didn't plan ahead. I didn't have any idea what I was going to use or how I was going to create this album. Truth be told, I was using the skeleton of another December Daily that I started but didn't finish. I kept trying to keep it the same but make it drastically different all at the same time. This, obviously, meant I was doomed to fail from the start.
2. I didn't have time in December. Which is why Ali Edwards and all the serious December Daily people make their foundation pages in November. Seriously. This was a huge part of my problem.
3. I didn't take or print any photos. Well, that's a bit of a lie. I took a ton of photos. Most of them were of my cats. Yes, there were some of them being adorable around Christmas trees and presents, but I'm not doing a December Daily to document my cats' holiday season. I'm doing it to document the people's holiday season. On that end, I failed miserably. I took no photos on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family, and absolutely none a few days later when we went to Minnesota to be with Trevor's family...and none when Trevor and I opened our gifts together at home.
4. I didn't write anything down. I could have overcome the lack of photos since this isn't necessarily a photo a day project (but most people do seem to document that way). I just didn't put pen to paper. I could have written about my feelings this Christmas, jotted down my wish list, shared Trevor's wish list, or written about our time with our families. I just never did.
5. I just didn't have a big drive to do this. I did a December Daily in 2009. That was the year Trevor and I got married, and I felt a HUGE drive to document our first married Christmas. Each of the following Christmases, however, has pretty much been the same: decorate the house, fly up north for a few days to see each family, fly back, open our presents when we get home, celebrate New Year's Eve at our house, and then it's the new year. Somehow, I thought this year would be different, but it isn't. I know it will feel different if we have children, if I'm pregnant one Christmas, if we move to a different place...but until then, I know I won't feel the same drive to do the album if I'm trying to do it as I go along like I did this year.
Going forward in 2014 means planning better. I am determined to do one more December Daily before we have children. Knowing how crazy life can be during the fall and winter, I'm going to start my album earlier. Like, January.
No, seriously, I ordered a bunch of stuff from TwoPeasinaBucket.com, and I'm pulling things from my Studio Calico kits. I'm planning to do most of my album over Martin Luther King weekend because I have three days off, but Trevor will be working two of those days. Plus, I have a 9 day break in February to finish it, too. I'll share more about my plans and process on the blog as I get further into the project.
Right now, I'm working on organizing my office and getting ready to do some serious crafting in 2014.
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