Holiday Decorating

Building Traditions: Holiday Decorating

One of our favorite family traditions is simply decorating for the holidays on Black Friday.  In previous years, Black Friday involved going to our favorite Christmas Tree lot (Larry’s Produce in Suisun Valley) and picking out our tree.  I also take the opportunity to capture some family photos.  Alas, we’ve decided to go the fake tree route for the next couple of years at least.  We happened to win a beautiful Christmas tree from the hubby’s office a couple of years ago and have decided to make use of it.  Plus, with 2 young kids, it’s just easier for us to manage it.

So on Friday morning, daddy lugs out our boxes of Christmas decor and we begin the holiday season.  Mommy gets the big tree in the formal living room.  The kids get their own tree in our family room.

How I Took the Shot

For these photos, I embraced the chaos of the holiday decorating.  It was fun seeing the kids toss the tissue paper aside as they discovered another ornament.  The stockings were stacked on the couch and the boxes of decor cluttered the floor.  Chaos is life, at least in our house.

With the light coming in from the back door, I was able to expose for the tree to capture the glow of the holiday lights.  The additional light from the door provides enough light to illuminate the kids a little more.

To capture the kids in a candid moment, I shot with my 70-200 and hung around the corner so that they wouldn’t hide or pose for the camera.

Max, with his short reach, was content hanging the ornaments at the bottom of the tree.  For ones deemed special to him, he asked me to place them at the top of the tree to keep them safe.  He was following his sister’s lead as she requested that all of her princess ornaments be placed safely near the top, and together like a family.

These moments are among my favorite as the holidays kick in.  Their excitement brings the spirit of the holidays alive and every day around the tree the push their imaginations with stories of elves and plans for feeding Santa.

How do you kick off your holiday season?  What are your favorite holiday traditions?