It's here, the final countdown to Christmas. I know we're all thinking it (and have probably mentioned it), but I am always baffled at how quickly this time of year flies by. We enjoyed a lot of festive fun this weekend, and I realized I'm not really ready to let this season go just yet. While I'm excited about entering into a new decade and see what 2020 has in store. there's something very humbling, magical, and a strong sense of togetherness that this time of year brings.
I wanted to share some pictures from our first family photo shoot with a professional photographer. I have a lot of great pictures with my boys, and some amazing family moments captured, but it was so nice to let someone else get behind the camera, edit the images, and essentially take care of everything for us.
I will say, the boys were very well behaved for her (which I appreciated), and made it super easy for us to get some great shots. She did some fun things with us to get them to smile and laugh, and I really like how beautiful her images came out. I think the boys favorite part was when she told all of us that she was going to ask us a question and then wanted us to look at the person that we thought was the answer. She then asked, who's the stinkiest in the family? We all started laughing and immediately shouted out, little nugget.
I think what I loved most about all of this is how we have lasting memories to cherish and look back on. It made it extra special that these pictures were taken around our Christmas trees and will come with a story to tell as the years go on.
Eric and I finally got to do some of our wrapping over the weekend and I had a moment where I felt like what I had gotten for others wasn't enough. That maybe the boys would be disappointed on Christmas morning because there wasn't going to be a flood of presents sprawled out around the floor. It's not for any real reason that we didn't go over the top with gifts, I just think that we have taken a different approach and have been focusing on more realistic and practical things. The boys have so much (and in all honesty, don't use half of what they have), we have so many family members that have everything they need, so we are focusing on experience gifts instead. The more I thought about all of this, I realized how silly my quick moment of insecurities sounded. I explain to my boys all the time that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus' birth, it's about being together with friends and family, it's about sharing joy and kindness, that it's not all about the gifts, and here I was, worrying about the one thing I have constantly reminded them about.
Charlie Brown might have said it the best, it's not what's under the tree that matters. It's who's around it. And in our case, when we look out at these trees, we can take it literally. Sometimes I appreciate those moments of, maybe we can say—weakness. It's in those moments, even though we already know we don't need to feel this way, that we have the opportunity to take negative feelings and turn them into moments of reflections.
I think it's important to end this time of year with focusing on family and continuing to make memories together. So we'll be doing just that. As the Christmas season is drawing close to an end, I want to wish you and your families a wonderful time together, a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14
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