How to make a 2020 Pandemic Journal using a Creative Memories Happy Album (plus watch my Flip-through Video!)

2020 was an unprecedented year (in my lifetime) with a worldwide pandemic threatening our lives and shutting down schools, work and public gatherings. Looking back, this was an historical event that we lived through! This is something you can document for future generations. I mean, think about how much our lives have changed from 2020 until now! For my 2020 Journal, I used a Creative Memories Happy Album (an oxymoron, I know!). A Happy Album is 6.75″ x 10″ and I think it’s the perfect size for a mini scrapbook or journal. Watch my flip-through Video to see the final result!

A supplies list can be found below the video as well as a list of the journaling prompts I used as titles in my 2020 pandemic journal/mini album. You can download a free checklist (pdf) of the journaling title prompts here:

2020-Journal-Prompts-pdf-Download

2020 Journaling Prompts:

Title Page
Intro: When did you know this was a Big Deal?
Closings/Cancelations…suddenly it seemed as if everything was canceled including travel plans and social gatherings, how did this impact you?
Shortages…what did your grocery store run out of?
Social Distancing…did your state mandate the 6 ft apart rule? How did you cope with that?
Virtual Church/Spirituality…did your church go virtual? Did you get closer to your faith or further from it?
Essential Workers…were you an Essential Worker? How was that? If not, how did you express gratitude to our Essential Workers?
Distance Teaching/Distance Learning…did this impact you as a teacher, student or parent? If so, how?
Working from Home…did you find yourself suddenly working from home or without a job? What was that like?
Stress Baking/Cooking…many restaurants closed during the pandemic. Did you find yourself meal prepping more often? Did this result in healthier habits or more stress eating?
Favorite Memes….oh, there were many people who could somehow find the humor in all this, God bless them! I took screen shots of my favorite memes and printed them off as photos to add to my journal/mini scrapbook. How about you? Were you able to find the funny admit the fear?
Pets…how did your Pets cope? Were they so happy to have you home more often? And how did they react when the world opened back up and you had to go back to working outside the home?
New Routines in Quarantine…did you pick up any new hobbies? Start painting, scrapbooking, or learn to play piano:?
Mental Health….anxiety and depression were at an all time high….how did you and your loved ones cope? Did you lose any loved ones to Covid? (I think we all did…)
Making History/Class of 2020…we had a high school graduate and a college graduate who needed senior photos….I made sure we got some photos taken with their masks on because this was historical! What things in your life changed to where you could use the word “unprecedented”?
Staying Home/Puzzles/Games….did you play more games? What were some of your favorites?
Mask Mandate…our state was one of the first (and last!) states to issue the mask mandate. How did you cope? What kind of mask did you wear? Do you remember the first time you wore a mask in public? What was that like?
Beauty/Personal Care/Salons….did you grow out your gray? Start dying your hair at home? What changed?
Special Events/Virtual Events…people got creative! We celebrated our graduates with drive through graduations; did your events get canceled or go virtual?
Day-to-Day Life/Shopping/Doctors/DMV…what was the world like when you had to venture out? Did waiting rooms had fewer chairs, grocery stores have limited capacity and mask requirements? For the first time ever our DMV took appointments, which we loved!
New Pastimes/Drive-thru Parades…Did you attend any drive by birthday parties? What was that like?
Home Projects…Many people used their travel budget towards home improvement projects…what, if any, home updates did you do?
Fall 2020/School Decisions/Distance Learning…if you were a teacher or a student, you had to pivot! What ways did you learn new things and how was distance teaching/learning working for you?
Travel/Outings/Safety…did you cancel all travel plans? Or did you put on your mask and take a chance? Were you separated from loved ones internationally? How long until you could see them again?
Gratitude/Anything Positive Come from 2020? ending on a positive note…were there any positives that came out of this unprecedented time? How do you see the future post-pandemic?