2023: A Christmas to Remember: The Last Holiday with My Mother
A Christmas to Remember: The Last Holiday with My Mother
There are moments in life we treasure simply because they sparkle—festive lights, warm laughter, a perfect photo snapped at just the right time. And then there are moments that become precious for a different reason—because we didn’t know they’d be the last.
Christmas 2023 was joyful, peaceful, and full of the familiar traditions that make this season so special. We baked cookies, made a gingerbread house, opened stockings, shared meals, and spent time simply being together. The scrapbook page I created from that Christmas began, like so many others, as a way to preserve those cheerful memories. But in January 2024, just a few weeks later, my mother passed away—and this page took on new meaning.
Now, as I look at it, I see more than twinkling lights and smiling faces. I see the quiet grace with which she carried herself. I see the warmth she brought to every room, every conversation, every family gathering.
In true holiday spirit, this layout blends tradition and creativity. I used non-traditional Christmas papers from my mother’s Christmas stash—colors that she loved and that are reflected in our holiday decorations. There’s a photo of my mom, smiling with her pets—and in that photo, I see everything I want to remember: her joy, her warmth, her quiet strength.
I used Cricut Design Space to create the title block and the journaling block, and my Cricut Maker drew it using the pen feature. If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I don’t often include journaling on my pages—but in this case, I knew I wanted to. I knew my mother would have liked that this page, remembering her, had words to accompany the images.
Scrapbooking has always been about preserving moments—but this page reminded me that it can also be about honoring them. About grieving gently, gratefully, through paper and glue and memory. It’s not just about what happened on a particular day, but about what that day means in the greater story of our lives.
This Christmas page is no longer just a holiday memory. It’s a love letter. A keepsake. A candle in the window.
To anyone else scrapbooking through grief this year—know that you’re not alone. And that sometimes, the most meaningful pages are the ones we never knew would matter so much.
MASCrapping 