Goodbye 2017: 5 Ways to Savor the Year with Photographs

As we say “goodbye” to 2017, I cannot help but reflect over this past year. At the start of the year, my baby was five months old and she is now 16 months old. So much has changed in our lives over this past year: our infant is now a toddler, my sister has moved to Chattanooga, and our future home is almost complete. I want to remember all those happy moments.

There’s not a better way to savor those memories than through photographs.

In the moment, we think we are going to remember those precious happenings forever, but the truth is we probably won’t. I think this is why we love Instagram and Facebook Timehop photos so much! We are reminded of all the special memories that took place over the years. Besides social media, I like to have hard copy pictures too. My home is covered in them. I enjoy looking around my home to see pictures of my family and friends and reliving those moments. 

If you’re like me, you take pictures with your phone which means you have a billion pictures JUST from this year. I can’t hang all those photographs up, but I don’t want to lose them in that ever-growing “pictures” file on my computer. I want a way that I can enjoy them, like through a scrapbook.

As a child, I loved looking back on photographs and scrapbooks. My one year old already loves to look at photographs and I would love for her to be able to look back on her childhood one day. This can leave me overwhelmed because I don’t have the time to make a homemade scrapbook. So, I had to think of simple and quick ways I could make these special photographs stand out.

Here are five ways you can commemorate the year without the hassle or expense:

1. Memory frame. This idea is very simple; just purchase a signing frame and place your favorite family photograph in it. Each family member can write his or her favorite memory from the year on the frame. You can look back on the photos throughout the year. You can also use a scrapbook for this idea too. 
2. Check out Groupon.com and other sites like it for photo book deals with major retailers, canvas photo deals, and even photography deals. A year ago, I bought a photography session for $8 that came with a package of photos. Great deal!
3. Make a photo book or calendar online. Oftentimes Shutterfly, Mixbook, and Snapfish have deals on bargain sites mentioned above or you can check the websites directly for coupon codes. You can make a photo book filled with photos of the family or each child, or you can break it down by category (i.e. “Halloween ‘17,” “Danny’s First Field Trip,” “Summer Vacation 2017,” etc.). Also, you can make a calendar for next year with all your favorite photographs.
4. Try out chatbooks.com. Their site description states: “Automatically create photo books from the photos you already post on social media or your favorite photos from your phone.” It is just $10 for a book of 60 photos and it does the work for you — yes, yes, and YES!
5. Make a memory box. Print out your favorite pictures (or all of them if you are like me) and place them in the box. Just make sure to label your box. You can find photo or memory boxes for less than $5 at craft stores.

So, goodbye 2017; it has been a wonderful year filled with lots of firsts and baby steps (literally). Those memories are truly what matter the most at this sweet time in my family’s life. Plus, I feel as if we’ll hit 2018 running, I mean, chasing after my little one. Any help I can get with anything is a must for this mama!

What ways do you enjoy your favorite memories and photographs? Let us know if you have any ideas in the comments below!