Why I’m Not Taking Photos on Christmas: The Present of Presence

Photographers, Slow Down and Enjoy Your Holiday

This December has flown by, and if you read my blog post about Christmas activities, you know I was working hard to make this a slower and more sacred season, filled with more time together than time running around.   

I've tried to keep the focus on what we can DO for each other, not what we need to BUY for each other. 

Have I been perfect at accomplishing this goal every single day?

Absolutely not.  I’ve fallen short on many occasions.  Sometimes, I’ve taken the easy path over the meaningful path, busy over slow.

But, I’ve been hyper-aware, working hard to reel myself back in when I find myself drifting away from my vision of the kind of Christmas season I want to create with my family.

We’ve made decorations, a gingerbread house, lit candles over dinner, read Christmas stories, sang songs, looked at lights, and more.

And I’ve documented it all.  The messes, the wonder, the magic.

It’s all safely preserved, telling our story of Christmas!

But there's something I won’t be doing this year - taking photos of Christmas morning.

I want to be present in the moment without letting my photographer mind wander to compositions and settings, and “Ohhh! Christmas light bokeh would be pretty perfect right now!” thoughts.

I want to watch my kids open their simple gifts and see my husband laugh as he unwraps his underwear!  I want to be there and live it!

I don’t want the piles of RAW files sitting and nagging at me to edit them.  I don’t want to feel the need to post a photo of my son opening a marble run or my daughter squealing over her doll house.  I just don’t want to, so I won’t!

I've spent years taking photos of my kids on Christmas, even shooting a video one year.   There was my husband, putting pieces together and pushing my son on a bike while I was hiding behind my camera, trying to tell the story.

And yes, those photos are unique and will be treasured, but I decided they weren't worth the price, the distraction, or the hustle.

I had already captured the photos of what Christmas is, and they’re not the presents that Santa brings one morning.  It’s the images filled with traditions and memories that we look forward to year after year.

Eventually, there will be photos of my son playing with his marble run and my daughter with her dollhouse.  But do I really need pictures of them ripping the wrapping paper off?

Well, this year, those photos will be taken silently by my heart, locked in tight, hoping to stand the test of time.

However you choose to document this holiday season, best wishes and merry everything to you and yours!

How are you spending your holidays this year?  Are you planning on taking lots of photos or will you put the camera aside?  Leave us a comment below - we would love to hear from you!  And please share this post using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it!)