Don't forget the details!

Are you the photographer for most of your family events?  As you can probably guess, so am I.  Sometimes it's so hard to slow down and enjoy the moment while really documenting what is going on.  For me, I don't feel like I've really documented anything unless I incorporate all 5-senses into the images.  Those aren't the shots of someone staring and smiling at the camera.  In fact, there's good chance those are the photos where there isn't even a face.  These are the details that we all too often forget.  They are, in my opinion, the photos that tell your true story.  Ironically enough, I taught kindergarten for 5 years and always thought it was so funny I had to teach the 5 senses to kids.  Clearly they understood when they shoved a sugar loaded cupcake into their mouth that they loved the way it tasted.  Now that I don't talk about those things regularly, however, it seems like I can go days without thinking about how my life smells or feels unless I do it on purpose.

So, this holiday season, I challenge you to use your senses and capture the details.  Here's my story, a series of perfectly imperfect photos.

Taste

I'm not much of a baker, but I do bust out a cookie recipe around Christmas.  Gifts, snacks, donations...you guessed it, the reliable cookie is there.  It's a mess and requires several practice batches each year, but it's never Christmas without my mediocre cookies.  And getting sick off of cookie dough that my husband swears is going to kill me.

Touch

I love the feel of a mug in my hands, a fleece lined blanket, and the warm fire every night.  This year, however, it's not my sense of touch that I'm documenting, it's Oak's.  He touches EVERYTHING and there is one particular ornament that he can't get enough of.  It's kind of funny watching him play with it and examine ever little sparkly inch of that ball.  I can only hope he is so easy to please for many years to come.

Smell

I think people can time travel with a smell.  Most scents that take me somewhere else I don't even know if I can describe until I'm surrounded by it.  For Christmas, we are real tree people around here.  I embrace it, messy needles and all.  I love the smell of the tree and this year we got a real wreath.  It doesn't do much for the house now, but the smell in the car on the way home from the tree farm was delightful and nostalgic.  I'm also a candle girl.  I don't really think a season can exist without candles to match.  Spring is lilac, summer is anything tropical, fall is apples and spices, and winter is earthy pines and clover.  I can't get enough.  Sometimes I think my candle obsession is such a waste of money, but for the few minutes of relaxation it gives me everyday, I'll take it.

Sound

There are so many noises I could use to describe my house this time of year.  The list is a random one filled with happiness and chaos. A crying or laughing (depending on the mood) child, something that hasn't been part of our soundtrack in the past and  Kevin's train roaring around the track with a horn and wheels that are so loud I think a real train is breaking down the front door.  Board games being played and people screaming *colorful* names across the house.  And my favorite, stories being read about Santa and snow.  Over and over.

Sight

This is a no brainer as the easiest thing to photograph.  I could include 40 photos in this section, but I tried to keep it the most important and simple.  The nativity scene my dad made as a kid, our Christmas lights, the idiotic elf, the stockings I sewed for the family, and my first ornament..almost 30 years old.  And yes, that makes me want to barf and cry as I write it.

And that's it.  Simple moments in time, captured to tell a story.  This story is significant only to a handful of people but it is flawed and authentic in a very beautiful way.  Now, go embrace your story telling side and don't forget the details!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

xo

(I won't be posting until next year, but be sure to follow me on Facebook to see snippets of my holiday!)