Make Merry: My Favorite Holiday Decoration AKA one of my Favorite Holiday Tradition

 

Sooo, I originally planned to do all of Traci’s December prompts this year… but since I’m also working on a December Daily album I'm trying to fill with photos, bits, and junk journal goodness, I realized it might end up a little redundant. Still, when I first thought of doing so, I actually managed to finish this digital scrapbook page for the prompt “Favorite Holiday Decoration.”

One of my favorite holiday traditions is collecting photo Christmas ornaments with the year on them. It started 10 years ago when I received one as a gift, and ever since then, I’ve made sure to get one every single year. Whether it’s something we pick up during our travels or one I order internationally, I always have to have that year’s ornament - even though sometimes they get so pricey! Haha. I remember getting one on eBay.com and having them shipped to Manila. Grabe, ang mahal. hahaha. Also the 2023 one we got from Pottery Barn Bahrain was pretty steep. But then, it's rare I see one in a store so I had to get it.

For this layout, I included ornaments from 2015–2023, and my 2024 and 2025 ornaments have already arrived (ordered from Amazon!), though they’re currently waiting for me in the Philippines. Years from now, I know I’ll cherish going through each of these and feeling that warm, familiar glow as I remember every Christmas spent with my husband.

I used Traci Reed’s Make Merry collection for this layout, and it honestly couldn’t be more perfect for festive projects like this! I know I've been saying this but I really love the colors!

And if you’re working on your own December Daily, don’t forget to check out Traci’s December Daily prompts, they’re full of ideas and inspiration to keep you excited throughout the month. 

As for me, I’m currently thinking about how to (online) document my December Daily Junk Journal Album… Should I go per day? Per week? Since I haven’t been able to do it daily, I might start with a first week blog post first and then try to catch up one day at a time after. It’s been a whirlwind with the bazaar coming up and a staycation happening in the same weekend, but honestly, I’m happy and soaking up all the December (Christmas) magic.

Make Merry Accordion December Daily 2025

It’s that time of the year again, the December Daily season! And for 2025, I’m welcoming the month with an Accordion December Daily using Traci Reed’s Make Merry collection. This design (album style) has slowly become my December tradition, and I’m so happy I got to set it up early this year, this time with another cute collection.

Before diving into the project, I wanted to share a little background on how my December Daily making started.

I first joined the December Daily community back in 2022, after joining an online Christmas Craft Day. It was my first time trying a month-long documenting project, and I absolutely fell in love with the idea of capturing the little things we often forget by the end of the year.

That year, I made two albums - one accordion-style and another in a traveler’s notebook (TN) format. I ended up completing the accordion one daily, but the TN was a bit too journaling-heavy for me. I followed prompts back then but probably only finished about 60% of the month, which honestly felt like a win for a first try.

In 2023 and 2024, I continued the tradition. I made full albums, but 2024 was a bit unlucky. When winter arrived, my husband and I got sick right at the start of December. So the first week ended up being a blur of flu, tissues, and staying in bed. Definitely no photos or cute Christmas moments to document that week. To be honest, all my photos have been printed for 2024, junk memorabilia have been inserted on each page but not fully glued. And since I am here, blogging about it, I promise to myself to finish 2024 and be able to make a flip though, although late, together with my 2025 DD after the holidays.

This year, though, December came with a little blessing. The pre-winter sickness hit early, and by December 1, I was perfectly well - healthy, excited, and ready to dive into memory-keeping again. That alone already feels like a good sign for this year’s album. Plus, the husband was motivated to make up for our December Daily 2024! haha! But to be honest, he has been very supportive (always) when I started in 2022. He would always remind me to take a photo for the DD.

The 2025 Album: Make Merry

For 2025, I went back to my tried-and-true accordion design. For now, it’s filled with blank pages and pockets for all the keepsakes we’ll collect - gift cards, tags, small memories, and all the festive bits that make December special. I love setting the base now and letting the month slowly fill it with stories.

The Make Merry collection is cheerful, bright, and exactly the mood I want for this year. I love how flexible it is! It's perfect for spreads, pockets, tags, and later on, embellishing all the photos that will come. Get the collection here!

The team and I will be sharing our projects the whole month so watch out for them! Better yet, subscribe to Traci's blog for daily blog from her and the team!

I’ll be doing a full flip-through once the month ends, but for now, the foundation is ready, and I’m excited to see how December will unfold.

If you’re also doing a December Daily this year - TN, junk journal, album, accordion, anything - check out Traci Reed’s December Daily prompts. They’re a great way to stay inspired and motivated throughout the month.

Here’s to documenting December one day, one pocket, one blog, and one memory at a time. 

Weekly Happy Planner Spread | Hello, December! 🎄

It’s finally December!!! Christmas is just around the corner, which also means our trip to Manila is soooo close! For this week’s layout, I used my Happy Planner Merry Christmas sticker book, which I bought from their website last year around this time (together with my 2025 Happy Planner, of course).

I used a long side sticker that says “Making A List and Checking It Twice” to write down everything I need to do before the weekend - prep for our Craft Fair, plans for the CCSC party, and wrapping up Christmas gift shopping. I also sprinkled stickers like Merry & Bright, Officially Snuggle Season (because it is! Yayyyy winter!), and Oh What Fun all over the spread.

And because I want to be more inclusive (haha) and always include Lucky… here’s a cute photo of him lounging on one of his three beds in the craft room, which are all on top of the actual bed. 

 Yet somehow, he still prefers sitting on my printer while I craft. FOMO is real with this cat.

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Crafting Projects This Week

A busy, busy craft week, as always! Here’s everything I worked on:

Bearly Art Winter Animals & Gingerbread Tags/Ornaments

Cricut-made and triple-purpose:

— My entry for the Cricut KSA challenge

— Part of my Hot Chocolate project for Happy Sandscapes

— Extra products for the upcoming Craft Fair, the Twinkle and Sparkle Holiday Craft Market

Love when one project checks multiple boxes! Don't you think so?

Hot Chocolate Treat Packs – Happy Sandscapes x Friends Salon

I packaged a cozy little bundle: a hot chocolate packet, a chocolate biscuit, and a Cricut-made winter animal or gingerbread character. 

Miqueka Scrap – Cuento de Navidad

This week’s Miqueka Scrap scheduled project is a set of printable iron-on tote bag and a matching pouch. The ballerina remains my forever favorite from the Cuento de Navidad collection.

Kat Scrappiness Camera Card

Used my oldie-but-goodie Lawn Fawn Magic Iris dies and camera add on with the Kat Scrappiness Say Cheese Quokka stamps. Still The Lawn Fawn dies remain magical after all these years!

Handmade Notecards

Restocking for the Craft Fair - simple, cute, and always handy.

Collapsible Gift Boxes

Made for my friend, Mel’s son’s teachers. They fold flat so they’re suitcase-safe for her trip home. These also doubled as my Cricut MEA Elf on the Shelf Challenge entry.

More Elves

I made these elves characters as backup for the challenge. Now I’m deciding if I’ll keep them and do my own Elf on the Shelf every December or add them to my Craft Fair products. We’ll see!

Mini explanation for those unfamiliar:

Elf on the Shelf is a tradition in some countries where parents hide a little elf toy every day in December. Kids wake up and look for where the elf moved to next. I honestly didn’t know much about it until I saw a friend post about it last year, and Cricut MEA always includes it in their December challenges so I finally read about it. 

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Non-Crafty-but-Still-Making Things 

I finally figured out how to make a good Sushi Bake! It’s not Spam but Pure Foods luncheon meat actually worked really well, especially with crab sticks. Ingredients here can be tricky to find, so this is a small but big win. We also found the perfect nori brand. Yay!

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What I’m Reading & Watching

Reading:

I… did not progress since last week. I started Dan Brown’s Secret of Secrets but the first 3 pages already bored me. Might pick something else up soon.

Watching:

I finished several mini series on Netflix: Absentia, As You Stood By, and The Asset.

We’re also almost done with The Bear on Disney Channel. Season 3 was such a draaaaag!

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Weekend Moments

Last Saturday, we met with friends in Dammam. We had lunch at Raising Canes, and we all got free insulated bags! I joked that we should all use them together. I didn’t love (like super love) Canes the first time we tried it, but I randomly craved it last week - with rice. So yes, we brought rice. 

After lunch, a friend and I left the boys and attended Happy Sandscapes’ Hot Chocolate & Pamper Day at Friends Salon. I’ll write a separate blog post for this because it deserves its own kwento. Definitely another win for the week.

Then we tried Salt Al Bahar for the first time. It's a beachside spot where you pay SAR 100 entrance but it’s consumable. They have outdoor seating and a few food places. It was beautiful at night, but I’d love to see it during the day. For sure we’ll go back.

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December Daily is Here! 

It’s baaaack! I made the same style of December Daily album I’ve done since 2022, but this time using Traci Reed’s Make Merry Collection. Last year I got sick (my annual “winter sickness”) so my December Daily started blah. This year, I’m determined to complete it like before and Ton has been super supportive and planning coffee dates for stories. 

And oh! I have two Advent Calendars this year:

• A duck one from Ton’s cousin (from our cruise in August)

• A Happy Planner Sticker Advent Calendar I got last year along with the sticker book I used today and my 2025 planner.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

If you’re a journal girl - or doing a December Daily too, check out Traci Reed’s Make Merry Story Ideas. They’re so helpful!

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Here’s to a cozy, crafty, sparkly December ahead!