New Traditions #2: The Photo Book

In keeping with the rigorous standards I have established here on Good Things*, last Xmas I started a 'series' of blog posts around traditions.  This 'series' lasted all of one post, before the holiday madness really set in.  So I thought that 12 months later was a good enough time as any to continue the 'series'...

In the first post I wrote about how I love traditions, how I love that they provide both a link to the past and a promise to the future.  I wrote about creating new traditions with my husband and his step-sons and their Mum.  I wrote about the giant felt advent calender which I made in 2009, and which I add to each year (and which is currently up on our wall again this year).   

I love the advent calendar - it was a beast to make but I like that we'll be able to use it for years to come. But my favourite new tradition has to be the photo book.  

Back in 2007 while I was desperately trying to think of something ace to give my ridiculously hard to buy for husband I stumbled across Blurb, the totally ace website that lets you make a book.  I made a little book titled 'Ferdi says hi' - it was around this time that I'd stopped working, so to amuse myself I'd take photos of Ferdi looking ridiculously cute and email them to my husband with the subject line 'Ferdi says hi' - filled with photos or our adventures from the past twelve months.

I've made a book each year since then, and each year they get thicker and thicker.  The thing I really love about this new tradition is that I'm not the only one that gets a kick out of it.  Obviously the wanna-be photographer in me loves putting them together, and I know my husband loves getting the book each year, but more than that the step-sons eagerly anticipate it too - just the other day they asked me if I'd made a book this year!  Traditions shared are the best kind, aren't they?

If you'd like to read about some more holiday traditions, check out this gorgeous post from Bird's Eye View, written in 2010.  Or more recently, there's been some lovely guest bloggers writing about traditions, their own and ideas for yours, on the Creative Collective blog.  Read Charlotte's post here and Kathryn's post here.