3 Photos You Must Take On Christmas

This post was originally published on December 12, 2017 – but it was so much fun to write, that I wanted to repost it for this Christmas season!

With Christmas just days away (what?! how did that happen?!) I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas morning. If there is any day of the year that is pure magic, it has to be Christmas. Especially if there are little people in your life – the anticipation for Christmas morning is intensified even more!

I remember as a little kid looking forward to Christmas morning with sheer delight. I mean, what kid doesn’t? And now, as a parent with an almost-9-year-old and a 5-year-old, that magic is only so much more extraordinary.

I distinctly remember one Christmas, when I was around 9 or 10, I decided that I wanted to do something special for my family and surprise them on Christmas morning. So, in secret, I cut out a whole slew of paper snowflakes. In my mind, I wanted to hang them from the ceiling of the dining room (where our tree was) and literally turn the room into a winter wonderland. So, I woke up around 3am on Christmas morning and as sneakily as I could, crept down the stairs. Suddenly struck with terror at the thought of my (notoriously light) sleeping Mom waking up and finding me, I didn’t make it the whole way down the steps. Instead of hanging the snowflakes all over the dining room, I just hung them down the steps and then quickly ran back to bed.

Christmas time definitely brings out the nostalgia in all of us. In light of that…

3 Photos You Must Take Christmas Morning

1. The Tree – all decorated, with the lights on, presents stacked underneath, quietly standing in all its glory. No matter what kind of tree you have: whether you’ve gone out and chopped it down yourself, bought it from the Boy Scouts, or simply carried it down from the attic. Whether you have it loaded down with ornaments and a perfectly placed ribbon hugging the tree or you have mismatched lights and very little decoration (maybe due to sticky little fingers?): take it’s picture. Whether it’s perfectly curated or simply a Charlie Brown version: take it’s picture.
   Tip: if you don’t plan on getting up super early Christmas morning, snag this photo the night before!
2. Everyone all together, pre-presents! The joy, anticipation, and excitement are intensely at their peak as everyone comes down on Christmas morning, so break out that cell phone tripod (the one I told you to buy a few weeks ago, you did, right? if not, there’s still time to snag one!) and set the timer on your phone and snap a photo of all of that goodness. Smush everyone in as close together as you can – that includes the kiddos, dogs, and any stuffed animals that got carried downstairs as well – and snap away!
   Tip: make this one quick! No need to perfectly pose everyone, just get in and get it done! No need to squash that pure Christmas joy by stressing out over this photo!
3. The person behind the camera (usually Mom). Do your future self a favor and exist in some Christmas morning photos. If you have to dab on some concealer or mascara before coming downstairs, if you need to put a kid or the dog or a large present in your lap, do what you need to do to exist in photographs. Hand your camera over to your spouse and have them snap a few photos of you enjoying Christmas morning too!!
   Tip: if you want a truly unique perspective, ask the kids to take some photos!

And because I’m a photographer who easily gets carried away with photo ideas, I have one more:
BONUS: when the family gathers together later in the day, for lunch or dinner, be sure to grab a nice photo of Grandma and Grandpa. Sit them next to each other and have them smile at you. Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did.

So, I’m a photographer (duh) and photos are obviously my jam, but I also (and equally) love to write and journal. I love capturing memories in photographs, but I also love taking them down using words. That being said, with all this reflection on Christmas morning, I wanted to put together something special to record specific memories. And as I was putting it together, I thought it would be so fun to share it with you as well!

A Christmas Gift From Me To You!

So, consider this my Christmas gift to all of you! My personal plan is: after we come down and open gifts, to have breakfast, and then with a full belly, a cup of coffee, and a joyous heart, to sit down and fill this out. Braelynn & Leander (and let’s be honest: Derrick too) will be playing with their gifts, so I plan to just take it all in & enjoy it. I want this to be my Christmas tradition to keep & look back on for years to come.

Oh, and do yourself a favor and print this out as soon as you download it. You’ll be more likely to fill it out if you’ve already printed it out pre-Christmas morning!

CLICK HERE to download my Christmas Morning Memories Worksheet!

Did you print it out? I’d love to know! Leave me a comment below!