The Family Christmas Picture

With Christmas Day only hours away, I thought I’d talk about the idea of the family Christmas portrait.  You know, the one that mom or grandmom always wants to make while the entire clan is gathered for the celebration and everyone is so full of turkey they might drift off while Junior sets up the tripod.  A great picture can serve as next year’s glowing Christmas card.  It might also become a priceless memento, especially when circumstances lead to someone being missing from the assembly in the future.  In other words, it’s a picture worth taking and taking well.

To address the issue of what colors to wear, I first consulted with Mona Kelley, of Knot Just Weddings in Valdosta, Georgia.  A good friend and former band mate, Mona did my wedding pictures.  Her advice---go with holiday colors, but keep it simple.  You don’t want your attire to be too ‘busy’---complicated patterns, masses of floral prints, or eye-catching zigzags make for pictures where all the attention goes to a place that it’s not wanted.  Clothes should be festive and beautiful, but not overdone or too flashy.  Mona approves of  red for ladies, black for men, and kids with a mix of the two, with gold sprinkled through for accent.  Sounds traditional, but why not?  If there’s ever a moment for honoring tradition, it’s Christmas.

What about the background?  Christmas pictures at home are very hard to make, since most of us don’t live in houses with the versatile lighting of a photographer’s studio.  My husband (who’s not a professional photographer, but does spend a lot of time behind the lens) reminded me that even if one keeps the clothes relaxed, the background might still be ‘busy’ and distracting.  So take a few minutes to simplify the setting or choose a spot without a lot of competition.  Just don’t stand everyone up against a blank wall, unless your gang is the type to need a family mug shot.  If the weather co-operates (as it often does for those of us blessed to live in the South), an outdoor portrait might be easier to capture.  Whether you get that creepy blow-up snowman—the one that’s been freaking out your mailman---into the picture is up to you!

 

But what if you’re not traditional---or if you’ve got the family that just won’t cooperate with your plans?  Then maybe it’s time to think about the kind of family you are. Perhaps you’re the sort of crazy kinfolk who arrange presents without any nametags and then hoot and holler when Johnny unwraps Granny’s panties.  (Seriously, I know a family that does this!  I wish I were related to them, it sounds like fun to me.)  Or maybe you’re the type who spends the entire holiday in the kitchen, each person ‘improving’ the recipe as they pass by. (I know these folks too.)  Why not stage the picture to reflect the memories you enjoy making?  If everyone is wearing shredded wrapping paper and bows in their hair, or covered in baking flour in the kitchen (with someone guzzling the cooking wine in the background), just think of the number of likes it could get on Facebook.  (But please, still take at least one traditional picture.  It doesn’t hurt, at Christmas, to make mama happy!)

And last but not least---whatever you wear, however you stage it, there is one absolute rule that you must obey.  You must smile.  Look happy, even if you’re thinking about your January credit card bill.  Nothing spoils a family picture faster than one curmudgeon in the lineup, that individual who looks like Santa left coal in her stocking.  This is a directive that teen-agers and in-laws should pay special attention to.  Ultimately, the most fashionable look in the world, at Christmas time or any time, is happiness, and all the best memories come with smiles.