Christmas Picture Torture

The worst part about Christmas, for me, is trying to get a family picture for our annual Christmas card. Getting the whole family dressed in cute, coordinating outfits, doing everyone's hair, keeping everyone clean, finding a suitable location, getting everyone to smile and look at the camera simultaniously is a GREAT BIG NIGHTMARE!! To say I strongly dislike it would be an understatement. I didn't even bother with one last year.

However, this year I decided we needed to get a family picture. Whether we used it for a Christmas card or not, I really just wanted a decent picture of the whole family. I set my expectations pretty low - I let the kids pick out what they wanted to wear, within reason - and let them have a little say in how they wanted their hair, and I let them help pick the location - our backyard was quick and easy. My professional photographer, AKA mother-in-law Christy, pushed the camera button.

While the picture isn't perfect, it's good enough for me and I was able to order, address, and mail the Christmas cards out to friends, family, and neighbors well before Christmas day. Which is a miracle. Hallelujah to Christmas miracles.

Some of the pictures from our photo shoot...