Where Treetops Glisten and Children Listen
Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 7:32PM Once again, the making of the holiday card turned angels into demons.
It started so auspiciously too damn it - with snow, beautiful snow. Only Hollywood could have produced such a perfect backdrop for the holiday snap. The first sign of the flakes (the first of the season, mind you) threw the kids into fits of delight and sent them running to the windows.
Imagine four smiling cherubs standing next to a pine tree in their Christmas finery as snowflakes fall behind them.
Now, cue the music:
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetops glisten and children listen..."
Sadly, that's where the music ends and the torturous cries begin. It's hard to listen when there's a 15-month-old wailing incessantly in your ear.
Tobias, God bless him, he's developed quite the knack for sniffing out the times I'm actually trying to make a keepsake photo.
I take pictures nearly everyday and he's generally sweetness and light: batting his eyes, tilting his head just so, smiling grandly.
Except on special occasions, like his birthday:
And Halloween:
I thought he hated the hats and cried out in protest. Now I think he just hates when we ask him to perform.
Fair enough.
In years past, despite similar crying jags from the others, we always lucked out with at least one photo that's a keeper. They were never perfect. I didn't want them that way anyway. But they were charming. Funny. In focus!
This year?
I'm hard pressed to find one. And I took nearly 50. So much for the digital camera.
Tobias fell into fits shortly after we started and couldn't be coaxed back to sanity. Every time Kent put him down, he opened his mouth WIDE and let her rip. WAHHHHH! Most times, he was off and running within a second of his feet hitting firm ground.
Josephine tried to hang on. Esme too.
Didn't work.
We switched positions. No improvement. Switched spots. The protest continued.
WAHHHHHH!
It's going to make for one funny movie, that's for sure. But a good Christmas card? There's always next year.
Reader Comments (4)
I know none of this was funny for you, but I love that last picture, the one from today!
OH, and if you do figure out someplace where children listen, let me know where it is. We'll be dispatching Ava there immediately.
You need to send some of those awkwardfamilyphotos.com.
Those are classic. We have the same problem with Allie and Caleb's pictures.
I just love Desmonds face in those pics!