Join in with Journal your Christmas 2015!
It’s just hours from my favourite time of year – Journal your Christmas time! The 2015 forums are open and discussions have started, and there are even two new videos posted for members that show my process for getting ready (it doesn’t take long) and staying organised with this project amongst the busy days of the Christmas season. But let me slow down just a minute.
Journal your Christmas is a project that has been near and dear to my heart for twelve years now. It was first a journal I created just for myself as I worked to ‘take back Christmas’ and rekindle the feeling I remembered in the season but wasn’t finding in everyday life at that particular time. That journal turned everything around for me and my love of Christmas has stayed with me ever since. The following year, I used that journal to develop a set of writing prompts for scrapbookers and journalers with the idea that you could write every day or just some days, choosing the topics that spoke to you most. There is no pressure to create an entry for every day or every topic in any one year, and you’re encouraged to go back to that book that you started with good intentions but didn’t get anywhere near Christmas day in your documentation. With that in mind, I set out from day one that this would be an annual project and if you joined in once, you could participate as many years as you wanted at no extra cost… which means there are a few people who have gone through the class more than ten times all from that initial purchase! I’m so honoured that JYC is part of Christmas for many of you.
The video above has a little explanation of the basics and what you’ll receive this year – and that’s a daily PDF and a new daily video. There is already a library of daily 3×4 cards from last December, and these are new videos with a different format. Still on the shorter side to make them fit in your holiday schedule, but rather than just a card each day, each video has a balance of crafting – sometimes an embellishment, sometimes a stamping technique or a journaling technique or working with a photo – and the theme explored in that day’s PDF. It feels quite cohesive for me this year, looking at the PDF and the videos together, and I’m excited to work in my journal alongside you. (I am working ahead a little so my journal can still be very much the real events and photos and thoughts of Christmas in our home, but in a way I can share with you without a delay.)
When you sign up, you receive access to all future years but also all the archived material from the past years of Journal your Christmas, so if you want to sign up now and look through the daily videos from last year or read all the prompts in one big binge session tomorrow, you definitely can. There are also printable and digital files in the archives and you can see the gallery from each year where participants share their work.
What’s included in Journal your Christmas?
Thirty-seven days of inspiration delivered right to your inbox. We start on the first of December and run to the sixth of January, which is the twelfth day of Christmas.
Each daily email includes a full-colour, printable PDF that covers a particular topic in depth with ideas for journaling, photographing, and crafting. This year, it also includes an accompanying video.
There is also a private forum to chat and share your work with other JYC participants.
What makes your classes different to others?
All of my classes include permanent access, something I have always taken very seriously. That means when you join the project, you can participate for as many years as you would like at no extra cost.
I donate £1 for every class purchase to The Girls’ Fund at Plan, a charity that helps millions of girls who otherwise wouldn’t have access to education or basic survival needs.
The PDF prompts come right to your inbox – you don’t have to sign into the website daily to view them – though they are archived for you online so if you need to go back or want to download several to work on while you’re offline for a while, that is always an option. (You may or may not be able to see the videos straight from your inbox – it depends on the device you’re using and your mail software settings, but likewise, the streaming videos are embedded in both the emails and the class forum so you can view them at the time that works best for you.)
We really embrace variety and doing what works best for you. You can just take pictures or just write words or you can create a beautiful canvas every day – it’s completely up to you and I love every way the project may be approached. That includes how many entries you will make. You can certainly add something to your album every day if you would like, but it’s not a requirement. When I started this project, I designed it with the idea that you would cover a few of the topics in the first year, then in your second year pick a few more, and so on until you had a very full album you loved that documented many years of Christmas celebration. So whether you want to create every day, just now and then, or just take notes in December then put it all together at a quieter time of year, you are welcome to take the avenue that makes you happiest!
How do I join Journal your Christmas?
Easy! Just choose your currency and click the button below for your choice of UK pounds or US dollars. If neither of those is your currency, you can still join us! Choose either and the payment will convert automatically when you make your payment.
You can pay by credit/debit card or Paypal account. If you would like your prompts to come to a different email address than the one on your Paypal account, please be sure to leave a note in the message to seller section with the email address you would like to use. (If you miss that, send me an email to let me know, with both email addresses. Orders can take up to 24 hours to process. If you haven’t received your class registration after 24 hours, just email me and I’ll make sure your registration is completed and ready for you to get started!
Can I give Journal your Christmas as a gift?
Yes! Just click to pay above as normal, then leave the email address for the gift recipient in the notes section. If you miss the notes, email me. If you’d like me to send an email explaining that the class is a gift, I’m happy to do so – just let me know your preference of being named or anonymous!
Is there a deadline for signing up?
No. You can sign up any day of the year. The class starts on the first of December, so if you want to be in on day one, that can be part of the fun, but if you sign up later, you’ll still have access to all the materials, and you can do them in order or skip around – there is thought to the order but it’s not so regimented that you can’t change it up!
As a previous participant, what do I need to do?
If you participated last year and your email address has not changed, you don’t need to do anything to join us again. (The first message sent also has instructions on how to unsubscribe if you don’t want to receive the emails this year.) If your email address has changed since last year, you’ll want to update your account on the forum. If you need any help getting your email updated, please send a message to this special address and include both the old and new email address so your account can be corrected.
Previous participants can access the class forum any time. If you do not remember your login details at the forum, click at the top right of the forum screen to log in. When that page loads, there is a forgotten password link below the boxes. Follow the instructions from there and your username and a new password will be sent automatically. (If you don’t see it straight away, check your spam folder.)
Any other questions, please let me know. I’m looking forward to creating a Christmas journal full of happiness this year, and I’d love for you to join me and so many dedicated Christmas journalers for JYC2015.
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