I might just harbor this one little jealousy of my childless friends...

It's not the sleepless nights.  I can handle those.  It's not knowing that you will never, ever have anything nice again.

It's the unavoidable (believe me, I tried) family picture.  You know the ones. 

and so it begins. 

It should have begun a month ago, this setting the stage of holiday memories.  We did do a little shopping online.  We put out our tree and decorated modestly.  We prepared a list of must haves for Christmas goodies and Slothmas necessities.  We set some dates for get-togethers and aligned lists with budgets.  We had one afternoon of Christmas ornament crafts.  We attended Christmas programs and watched White Christmas.

But we put off the dreaded family picture again and again and again.  I think it is inherited.  I only remember one family picture from my childhood.  Us girls wore handsewn flowered dresses and James wore a little vest.  I'll have to dig that one up sometime.  It is a beauty.  Come to think of it I was crying in that one too...

I digress. 

The whole process gives me the shakes.  Picking out outfits that show our personality.  They can't be too dressy, or too casual or too matchy matchy.  Thinking of a spot that isn't too cluttered but still holds some interest.  And what about poses?  Nothing too staged, but still something that we can see everyone in and please nothing that has an upward angle. 
Ugh! 
And then getting children to smile naturally!  Screw it. 
As more and more perfectly polished pictures popped up on facebook and cards began to trickle in I knew the time was here.  Wait, was it that or was it Karen telling me to get my act together because she will be over in a little bit to snap a picture?  Who can remember.  Just kidding.  Thank you Karen!!

 

So that means, black and white photos to cover up the fact that we didn't coordinate at all and pictures in the backyard for the third year in a row.  I only threw a tiny little fit and no one ended in tears.  The best part is that my little Christmas photo album has a 2013 entry instead of me drawing stick figures, which was plan b.