a December Daily questionnaire

December Daily 2021 Creative Team | Amanda Zampelli

Hey hey! Look who made the brand new December Daily® Creative Team! IT ME! …with 11 other fabulous women scrapbookers! I am giddy with joy and anticipation! (You all know how much FUN I had in my 3x8 album(s) last year!)

Well, this year I’m going to return to the 6x8 size and because I’m on this team, Lisa Varshine had the girls and I fill out a questionnaire - part of which went live on our “get to know me” posts by the @decemberdaily Instagram account.

I thought it would be fun to reveal what all of my answers were to the questions, not just the sweet, sappy one the @decemberdaily account decided to highlight. HERE THEY ARE! Enjoy…

How many years have you participated in December Daily?

10 years (this year will be my 11th! YAY)

How many December Daily albums have you completed?

I've completed 7 albums FULLY - start to finish - but all my albums feel "complete". They were all COMPLETELY what they needed to be at that time in my life - stories told or not. No regrets!

What is your favorite memory related to December Daily?

This was a tough question for me, but I think my best answer is the memory of first discovering this project. It was 10ish years ago and I had just started memory keeping my routine days and weeks in a Project Life 12x12 pocket page style when the autumn season rolled around and this wonderful online scrapbook community was buzzing with talks of December Daily! The feeling of knowing this project was special and I was about to embark on this documenting adventure that I would return to each and every year is my favorite memory of December Daily. I still feel that same nostalgia and wonder at the start of each new album.

Why do you participate in December Daily year after year?

It matters so much to me that every December, I know I will be hunting for magic and telling my story. If no other documenting ever gets done in my entire life, THIS PROJECT each year will forever be enough for me.

I also -- to the core of my being -- enjoy the daily inspiration Ali provides and being a part of the amazing community of documenters who participate. I feel like I belong here and have something of value to contribute.

What is your favorite part of December Daily?

I love that December Daily presents the opportunity to pay closer attention to the season and capture the month's magic, but my favorite part is probably where it lies in the year - at the very end. It gives me a chance to reflect back on the past 11 months and set intentions moving into a new year and fresh start.

What is your most-used December Daily embellishment?

I would have to say statement numbers (the big felt ones were great), transparencies 4eva, and STARS STARS STARS! Give me all the stars!

Do you have a favorite December Daily album, and why?

My last three years - 2018, 2019, and 2020 - have all been my favorite for different reasons.

In 2018 - my December Daily was a SURVIVAL album and it was my literal way out of the year that pushed me to my limits of anxiety and grief. That year I was inspired by Brandi Kincaid and wrote a letter to something everyday - my new cozy robe, a work party martini, a squid toy I found on the street, my OCD - and it was very strange and heavy (in the best way). There was still soooooo much magic captured that season, and I’m so appreciative of the lessons that year equipped me with. It's my favorite because it saved me.

In 2019 - it was all about documenting me and Tom’s first Christmas as a couple - and was significantly lighter and more joy-filled. It's my favorite for the stories inside. What a special time in our lives!

Last year, in 2020, it was my first time doing a 3X8 December Daily and it's my favorite because it was the MOST FUN I've had documenting in my entire life. The size, the craftiness, the play -- pom poms, flip ups, puffy paint stars, stencils, texture paste, foil -- I was utterly giddy creating each page.

Do you have a story or tradition you tell every single year?

Yes! I always tell the story of....

• our Christmas card (if we do one),

• the pieces of wrapping paper collected from Christmas morning that I layer and trim -- so fun!

• what my one little word will be for the new year

• a grid scavenger hunt of collected little pieces from the month

• New Years Eve (because I'm a Dec 1st through 31st December Daily-er)

Do you work on your album during December or after?

I work on the bulk of it during December, with usually a few days to complete after the month is over.

What is your favorite holiday song?

"Happy Happy Christmas" by Ingrid Michaelson

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Making sure that Jeb - our life size Storm Trooper balloon who guards our Christmas tree - is a part of Christmas. // Check him out here: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/jebthestormtrooper/

Are your holiday decorations up before Thanksgiving?

Yes! :) I try to get them up the weekend before!

Are your holiday decorations put away by the New Year?

No -- I let them linger. I usually take them down Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend -- or sometimes even later! Ever change your Christmas tree to a Valentine's tree? I have! Haa haa!

Colored lights or white lights?

Blinking white lights on my rose gold pencil tree, and extra white icicle lights hanging around the perimeter of my living room. Three cheers for command hooks!

The true meaning of Christmas is [fill in the blank].

The MOST LIKED and ADORED December Daily spread! Haa haa! JUST KIDDING! Sometimes we feel like that, but it reads so silly being typed out, doesn't it?

The true meaning of Christmas is ... simple joys with loved ones, celebrating the abundance that already makes up your days, and everything described in the song "Love is Christmas" by Sara Bareilles.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

The best gift I've ever received was a pair of oval hoop earrings from my boyfriend (now fiance), Tom, on our first Christmas together, but what made them the most special was the heartfelt card that he gave me along with them.

The worst was probably an electric tooth brush given to me by an ex. Haa haa!