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Email a FriendWe have a joke in our family that the most stressful day of the year is the Christmas card photo day. ; ) In some strange twist, I am not freaking out about it yet but I’m sure I will be soon.
Christmas Card Mania
Let's get ready to rumble!
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 3:52 PM
This is my favorite Balducci Christmas card photo ever. It’s from a few years ago, and it perfectly encapsulates life in our home during that season.
In the years since, we’ve had some nice photos—along with one tremendous dud that involved me feeling desperate for a decent photo and using the one from the parish directory (complete with blue shag carpet across my lap as I held baby Henry).
The last few years I’ve started a tradition of having us stand in the same spot in front of the tree in a similar configuration. I like it because it records changing statures and maturity and orthodontia. The boys like it because I no longer make them dress alike (well, they each get to wear a different tie anyway).
What is your approach to Christmas cards? And if you have started, are you already pulling out your hair? I’m not—but only because I’m waiting until next week to work on ours.
Comments
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Posted by Debbie on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 4:31 PM (EDT):
For the first year ever, my cards were in the mail before Dec. 1st! Since the kids were born we have done photo cards with either a picture by the tree or a family picture. This year we did a collage with our pictures from the ballpark! It was fun reliving our memories over the year of going to baseball games.
Posted by joyce on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 5:09 PM (EDT):
I just received my cards today and I’m so EXCITED!!!!! Tonight I’ll be sitting by a roaring fire, addressing them and listening to BBBBing sing White Christmas. The day taking the pics is a real pain…my kids think I’m the pain because I want that pic just so.hehehe Sometimes I’ll send them out on Christmas Eve so that people receive them during the Christmas Season, but I’ll probably send them out during Advent this year….St. Andrew Novena starts today until Christmas and I’m just soooo in the mood for this time of year!
Posted by Brenda L on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 5:40 PM (EDT):
I am going the same route as you. I have always stressed about the cards and coordinating clothing for the 5 children. With one away at college and not having a Christmas picture for the card, I am going through some vacation pictures from this past summer and putting together a collage for the card. Definitely a first for me but maybe a new tradition!
Posted by stepdancer on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 5:53 PM (EDT):
I also received my Christmas cards today! I use pictures of the kids from during the year. This years card shows different photos from our summer vacations to Cape Cod and Vermont. It’s a lot less stress. Though one year my daughter drew a picture of our family and I made that into our Christmas card and it got great reviews 
Posted by Susie on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 8:07 PM (EDT):
Had everyone including my college student dressed up for my sister’s wedding in October and she had the reception at the scenic park inn and guess who forgot to have anyone snap a photo of the seven of us? Now we are stuck either photo shopping out a frowning kid or doing a collage again. Kudos to those of you who are so prepared! I don’t do our cards until nearly Christmas so I can respond to those who have sent us cards. Sometimes I do it between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Posted by Karen on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 8:46 PM (EDT):
taking a “christmas card picture” is always a disaster. It ends in exactly the kind of feelings and behaviors I don’t want my kids to remember about the Christmas season. We don’t do it anymore. I either make a collage or use a group shot from earlier in the year when there was no pressure. This year will probably be the post-Easter Mass shot that actually turned out really well.
“well” in my book is everyone looking at the camera, no goofy faces and no closed eyes.
Oh and dh and I are never in the picture. I get a lot of grief about it but that is the way we do it. Married almost 20 years and we’ve never taken a picture with us and all our kids, even when it was just one or two. I always think,“Maybe next year.”
Posted by Monica (momof2) on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 9:26 PM (EDT):
All the Christmas photos I get are just of friends’ kids which is really annoying since most of these people I haven’t seen since we were all single. So just seeing photos of strangers doesn’t mean a lot. I would rather see the whole family. We have always done the whole family but as the kids have gotten older they have gotten more resistent to the long agonzing process which includes (ugh) dressing up on yet another day. So last year I did a collage of photos from the whole year and I think I am sticking with that from now on. A while ago I dropped doing the Christmas newsletter that went with the card.
Posted by Susan on Thursday, Dec 1, 2011 10:58 AM (EDT):
I would have to agree that taking “the” Christmas picture is stressful! The past couple years I have tried to make it as easy on me and them as possible. After Mass some weekend (usually in Nov) I have everyone go outside in whatever clothes they wore to Mass and then I set my camera on self-timer so there are no witnesses! I tell everyone that if they smile the first time then it won’t take long at all! Of course, as they get older this gets so much easier! Hubby and I are always in the pic because it is a great opportunity to have one pic every year that includes all of us (which is getting harder and harder the older they are). I think having pics with one of the little guys with a goofy face, etc…is cute and it doesn’t bother me! Also, color-coordinating at this point is so beyond what we could sanely do I don’t worry at all. That’s what black & white or sepia options are for if it’s too bad!
Posted by Chloe on Friday, Dec 2, 2011 1:54 PM (EDT):
We have a good friend (who has a small photography business) take our family pictures yearly, and we always schedule that to be late in the fall, with the intention of using one of them for our Christmas cards. We go to a local park with her, she snaps 50 or so pictures of the kids playing in leaves, etc., along with a few “family” photos, and that’s always felt like a more relaxing way to do it for me. I try not to get too worked up if someone’s hair is blowing in the wind, etc, and try to make our clothes kind of go together but not identical. I just don’t have the stomach for overly posed photos at a department store somewhere, not with a 3 year old and a 1 year old, so this plan makes my life a little easier:).
Posted by Shari on Friday, Dec 2, 2011 3:04 PM (EDT):
This is the first year that we haven’t had a formal shot of the family, but i just don’t see how we’ll have time before Christmas if things keep going the way they have the past two weeks. So, i’m jumping on the picture-collage bandwagon. We have some nice shots of the kids this summer, plus one of the family at a wedding earlier this year that I think will do. Does anyone have specific website they recommend? All I know about is Shutterfly.
Posted by mothering spirit on Friday, Dec 2, 2011 4:16 PM (EDT):
Our approach to Christmas cards is a division of labor: I do the photo card (usually a collage of shots from the year - I’m never brave enough to attempt a holiday shot!) and my husband writes the Christmas letter. I never liked letters b/c they usually seem so “braggy” but he writes a very tongue-in-cheek description of our year. Every family member (even the dog) gets a little praise but more than a little good-natured ribbing. It cracks me up and people always comment that it’s a fun alternative to read (vs. the “Junior got into Harvard, and all of us here in our pristine, beautiful home are delighted!)
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