It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
I often think of those timeless phrases this time of year when the clock is ticking down to my self-imposed Christmas card deadline.
Whereas I love thinking of new and creative ways to pose my child in what I hope will be a unique photo card, the process of snapping the keeper just about kills me every year.
No one wants to go through the trouble of cleaning up a kid, getting him dressed in his Sunday best and bribing him to no end to smile for the camera (“Please, please, pretty please.” Do it and I will buy you a pony!”), just so the end result can be tossed into a family member’s recycling bin. We all want a photo we can smile about and happily feature on our annual holiday greeting. But, how to accomplish such a feat?
Here are some popular suggestions:
Wreath of Smiles: Purchase a large evergreen wreath and position members of the family at different points around it. Then, have them make silly faces or flash sweet smiles and take your shot. If you have a smaller group, you can have everyone look through the center of the wreath before taking the photo.
Tree Moments: Use your Christmas tree as the centerpiece of your holiday photo. However, instead of having your kids stand like statues next to the decorated fir, get creative and take a shot of dad and the kids hauling the tree through a snowy field, or photograph your clan’s tree-trimming festivities. I once received a card from a friend who had her kids dress up as brightly wrapped gifts, then posed them under the Christmas tree.
Joy: Another popular way to create a unique Christmas card photo is to dress the kids up in matching outfits and have them hold letters or words that spell out cheerful holiday messages. For a larger group, consider the traditional “Merry Christmas,” while smaller groups can spell out “JOY” or “NOEL.”
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