I spent quite a while brainstorming Christmas cards for this year. Finally I came up with an idea, something totally “us.” But then Brandon and his fiancee Diane had crazy-busy schedules, and the few times they were available, either Lindsey wasn’t available or Kathryn was at her dad’s.

It was looking like we weren’t going to be able to get a family photo at all this year, or at least not in time for Christmas cards. I was disappointed.

But then we totally last-minutely made it happen on Thanksgiving morning, and I was tickled about it! We didn’t plan our wardrobe; whatever we all ended up wearing was just fine since I always want photos (whether for a client our for our own family) to be about the personalities of the subjects in the photos. And this year in particular, I wanted our photo to be a slightly humorous interpretation of who we are. (Coincidentally, our outfits did end up subtly coordinating.)

The result:

I worried a little that people might not “get” it, especially with Lindsey and Kathryn not even looking at the camera. (I tend to second-guess myself.) But those who know us know that I’m a tea snob aficionado, Ken is camera-happy, Kathryn frequently has her nose in a book, Lindsey is a little too addicted to texting, Brandon drums on everything, and Diane is busy planning their wedding. The fact that Diane really liked all our little props made me feel better (because I thought she might think me nutty). We also took some ordinary no-prop photos, but stuck with this one for our cards.

I found a slightly retro design I liked (with my very favorite colors!), and once the rest of the family gave the stamp of approval, I ordered these cards from Shutterfly, and we all love them.

One friend already told me these are our “best cards yet,” and another said they were “hilarious.” That made me happy. 😀 But there is still a problem: what are we going to do to top this next year?

I’d better start brainstorming now!!

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »