...after the fact.....

I always wondered about the embossed date of Christmas 1912 on the front of Georgie's journal.  Her entry of October 4, 1912 makes it apparent that she was catching up - she slips into past tense:"with the exception of a few days we were very comfortable and enjoyed our journey very much."  Definitely implies an after the fact assessment. She must have been keeping a journal but transferred into this leather one once she got it.