The Family Christmas Photoby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 01 Dec 2008 08:56 PM Whereas I wouldn't dare bore family and friends with a lengthy holiday newsletter detailing every milestone my precious offspring has accomplished in the last 365 days, I have no qualms about stuffing a mini photo album's worth of pictures in our annual Christmas card. Okay, I don't really cram mountains of photos in a single card (think of the postage), but I am one of those parents that opts for the multi-square photo card, and I sheepishly admit I do sometimes... all right... often... supplement it with my own 8x10-inch photo montage. When it comes to picking the perfect Christmas family photo I can never settle on just one. The annual holiday family photo is a touchy subject for some parents. I know quite a few moms and dads who refuse to be in the shot. Rather, they send out photos with well-dressed kids standing in front of the Christmas tree, while others simply use a favorite shot taken on summer vacation and dub it "the one." One of my friends (a mother of six--four boys, two girls) has a cute tradition she started when her two oldest were toddlers. Each year on St. Nick's Day (December 6th) she gifts her children with new Christmas-themed pajamas. Each child gets the same set of jammies in their respective size. For example, last year they all wore red flannel PJs accented with mini snowmen. The year before that they all wore powder blue sleepwear featuring prancing reindeer on the tops and snowflakes on the bottoms. Right before the kids are allowed to see what St. Nick left them (she finds they are more willing to cooperate with the picture taking process prior to the gift opening) my pal lines her brood along the staircase and snaps the shot she uses in her Christmas cards. Six kids in matching cozy and colorful pajamas--it really does make for a cute shot. I'm sure her older children find the tradition less charming as the years go by, but as a recipient of the photo card, I must say I do find it quite adorable. What do you do to make your family Christmas photo special? Do you and your spouse pose for the photo too or does the picture feature just your kids? Related Articles: Who's In Your Christmas Card Photo? The Annual Holiday Family Newsletter-Yea or Nay? What Kind of Parents Take Their Kids Shopping on Black Friday? Tales from the Holiday Kids' Table Countdown to Christmas: The Letter to Santa My Daughter's Very Merry Christmas Eve Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments  ruthann8 (6378) 03 Dec 2008 08:43 AMWe have about 6 different styles of photo cards that I like and can't decide which one to go with. The one I really wanted was a 5*7 folded card that you could have up to 6 photos but it is too expensive for us this year. We are going with a 4*8 photo card. Now if I could only choose one! I also made photo books for Ellamae's grandparents and flip books for her great grandparents. I am going to get a few of the 5*7 folded cards for Ellamae's aunts and uncles. She is the first grandchild and spoiled rotten!  Michele Cheplic |
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