Hey there! Catherine here with a few pages from my 6×8 holiday album and some ideas for documenting your own holidays – past and future.

I love the idea of doing a project that specifically documents the holidays, but I’ve never been able to keep up with a “daily” project because we’re usually traveling off and on throughout December. But as with anything related to memory-keeping, I think you can make these projects your own.

Several years ago, I created a few 6×8 layouts documenting our holiday season using supplies from around my house, some cards from a friend’s Etsy shop, and some digital designs from Paislee Press. Every year since then, I’ve done the same – just a few layouts documenting our holiday memories using digital designs and whatever I have around the house. I break out the album at the holidays and it lives on our coffee table.

This year I splurged and bought the kit Liz designed for December Daily. It’s gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to dig in, so I designed a few layouts documenting last year’s holiday season, which I never got around to adding to our holiday album.

I mixed the papers from the kit with photo templates and digital designs, which really is my favorite way to work on a project like this.

Here are a few tips for getting started with a hybrid holiday project.

One / Gather your supplies

I went with Liz’s December Daily kit but I also used some digital designs, which I moved to their own folder on my computer: winter vibes templates, 3×4 photo templates no. 3, and a few photos from last year’s holiday season.

Two / Start playing with the layouts

With a hybrid project like this, I pulled out the 6×8 pocket pages and thought about which I’d use first and how I’d want to fill it. I placed a card here and there and filled in the gaps with digital designs. Normally I’d send my photos to a lab, but for this project I wanted to play with them on the spot, so I printed at home.

Three / Take a minimalist approach

Physical products are pricey! I don’t work with them often, so when I get my hands on gorgeous physical projects, like Liz’s December Daily kit, I’m particular about how much product I use. I want to make it last and stretch it out to document a couple of years.

So I use both sides of cards where possible and just make it work. Yes, the sentiment is the same on both sides, but in this case, the card was different enough that it worked to use the front and back in the same pocket.

Same goes for colored cards. Use both sides when possible and your supplies will stretch!

Four / Keep it simple

Is anyone surprised this is among my tips? Choose photos you love, use a few beautiful supplies and digital designs, and call it a day.

These albums aren’t “perfect.” They don’t document every single holiday moment, but they bring me right back to each of those years and my family loves flipping through these layouts.

Keep the quantity of layouts low, your designs simple, and you’ll have these projects done and ready to enjoy before you know it.

If you’ve never attempted one of these holiday projects, it’s never too late! Create one or two layouts for each of the last few years and then start fresh this year. Or just jump in right where you are. It’s so much fun having our holidays photos in one place where we can flip through them year after year, and it really is never too late to jump on board a project like this.

I’d love to hear how you’ll be documenting your holiday season!

You can find more of me over on Instagram, my blog, or join my holiday inspiration situation over on Pinterest. Please say hello!

xo, Catherine