I’m five, and I’m feeling frustrated beyond words because I’ve been instructed to put on an itchy wool dress and constricting white tights, and stand in front of my grandparents’ Christmas tree with 15 of my family members for photos, BEFORE we can open presents. It was clearly a form of 1980’s torture, taking photo after photo while Grandad ran back and forth to press the timer on the old film camera, arms being gripped tightly by parents to make sure we were smiling. 

Cut to an hour later, I’m back in comfy sweats and ripping into wrapping paper to reveal the gift I had wanted so badly - a Barbie family, ironically dressed in the same type of fancy outfits I had just peeled off with disgust. 

It’s been more than 35 years since that Christmas, but I still remember both of those feelings so clearly. The frustration at dressing up for fancy pictures and the joy of receiving exactly what I wanted, the rollercoaster of being five when so little is within your own control. 

Now I’m the parent, carrying on my family’s traditions. Forcing posed photos in front of the tree and also capturing the joy of the perfect present, with the little tweaks that come with new generations: a digital camera instead of film, and waiting until after the gifts are opened to force the family photo (I’m not a monster). 

The tree photo is a nice memento, having visual confirmation of who was there and how old everyone was. 

But there’s something uniquely wonderful when you capture pure, unadulterated contentment and joy on the face of your child. I’d trade all the posed photos in the world for more true photos of joy.  

So this holiday season, think about the photos you’re taking. Not the ones posed perfectly in front of a tree, but the ones that capture real moments - sticky fingers “helping” decorate cookies, the awe and wonder of viewing lights in the darkness, the joy of opening the perfect gift. Take more of those. 

Holiday photos are more than keepsakes. They’re a gift you give to your family’s future. And that’s reason enough to take them.