I Would Love to Take Shimelle's JYC, but....

I haven't taken it, and as I feel like I keep saying: I don't really scrap much Christmas stuff, however, maybe someone who has taken it can chime in on whether or not the journalling techniques she teaches are transferable. Maybe you could use what she teaches on other projects that are important to you. I really like Shimelle, and she has always struck me as a genuine and stand up sort of person, I am sure you could also email her and ask her a few questions.

I think it's a great idea for people with family who want to document traditions but I'm in the same boat as the above posters. I can't think of a reason why I'd take that class as my holidays are pretty uneventful. I think I'd rather spend the money on one of her other classes.

I'm not married and have no kids. Aside from the occasional Christmas party or get together my life is fairly average in Dec as it is throughout the rest of the year.

I really enjoy JYC and find that while I don't use all of her prompts each day they help me round out my DD.

Shimelle's approach is a little different to Ali's when it comes to documenting the Christmas season. Where DD focuses on the events that happen each day, JYC takes a more reflective approach. Some of the JYC prompts are really straightforward (like the weather or counting down to Christmas) while others could be explored over several pages (like traditions) but Shimelle often puts a spin of Christmas past onto her prompts. So instead of just talking about the countdown to this Christmas you might find yourself writing about a countdown from your own childhood that you particularly remember. A lot of her prompts are geared this way.

I read somewhere that JYC was designed to be an album that you could complete every prompt in one year if that worked for you, but if not you could complete two or three prompts every year and just keep adding them to the same album. The idea is that it is not necessarily a time capsule of just this year or this Christmas.

If you've watched the Glitter Girl episodes or taken any of her classes I don't know that you'd get much from a journaling/prompt perspective. She does include a daily photo tip/tutorial which can be anything from how to take a good photo of your tree with the lights on, to adding bokeh filters.

I'd take it for yourself. I felt the same way the first year. I signed up but didn't have much time. I didn't get far and then threw in the towel. For a few years, I didn't do JYC due to health issues. Last year, I decided I was going to do the whole thing. I was doing PL so I thought it would be easier for me tackle. I decided to do the journaling and add photos, LO's, ect.... 

JYC opened up so many thoughts and memories. What I learned through journaling in JYC was astounding. It's clearly helped me see things differently this past year with family members and people in general. It may be different for you. Maybe you are more of a visual person. 

We don't celebrate Christmas like we did when I was a child. Life has evolved. Even though you are "old", I bet you have many stories to tell through journaling, photography or another artistic outlet. Your stories can be of Christmas past or of Christmas/life today. For me, engaging in the creative process, especially scrapbooking events of years past, is enjoyable as we get to live in those moments again. There is nothing wrong with it and why not? You'll enjoy it. After all, the whole process is for you. You don't have to do it all one year. You can add more and more each year.

This year, I expect more surprises as I Journal My Christmas. I would love if Shimelle could create classes for the different seasons of year, like JYC.