Our Christmas Card

I love traditions. And Christmas. And pictures. So obviously taking a Christmas picture every year is a tradition I started when Nate and I celebrated our first Christmas together as a married couple. That was 10 years ago, but I can remember our first family Christmas picture like we took it yesterday. I had us color coordinated in white and red. Malachi sat on Nate's lap and I held our first doggie, a wiggly beagle named Henry. We propped up our camera and set the self timer- the result was a few blurry pictures of a young couple joyfully celebrating their first Christmas together as a little family. Every year since then, we've taken a Christmas picture that gets sent out to family and friends.

This year I had good intentions of color coordinating again for our family Christmas picture. I thought about searching for the perfect outfits for all of us. I thought about taking pictures in the fall when the leaves were changing colors and the air was crisp. But all of my thinking and planning didn't quite cut it when I realized that time was ticking to get that family Christmas picture this year.

Tuesday evening I hosted an Origami Owl party. My kiddos were all there and Nate walked in the door. I decided to cease the moment and take that picture. So I snagged my best friend, Jan, and asked her to snap a few pictures of us. But then I had a freak out thought- the kids were all wearing clothes that they had worn all day. Some of them had chosen things that were too small for them, or had holes in them. And of course, they all had some form of food spilled on them. Should I at least brush their hair? Or wipe off their faces? But it was too late- a miracle had happened. Every one of the kids and Nate were standing in front of the fireplace anxiously awaiting that Christmas picture. Jan started snapping photos- click, click, click. In a matter of 3 minutes, everyone stood still and smiled and I just knew there had to be a good picture in there.

The next morning, I took out the sd card from our camera and popped it into my computer. And there was my little family. Pictures of me with my mouth open telling everyone, "just look at the camera and smile!". Pictures of rosy cheeked kids making silly faces. Pictures of Nate trying to force the smile he knows I desperately want him to make! (:

And then I saw it- our 2013 Christmas picture. It wasn't the picture I had dreamed of. But it was us. Not everyone is looking at the camera, or has combed hair, or is wearing clothes void of holes or stains. But in that moment, our family is captured for who we are. Loving each other, laughing with each other, humoring a mother and wife who takes the tradition of a Christmas picture seriously. One day I'll have the perfectly color coordinated picture of our family. But for now, for this year, I can't imagine a more beautiful Christmas picture than the one we have.