The Annual Argument

There is an argument that occurs yearly in our home.  Twice this month in fact.  However, it's an argument I'd bet the mortgage and then some that it happens in each household on our block annually; never mind the rest of middle-class America. I am talking the Christmas card photo shoot.  You are all nodding as you read this.  You know how ugly it can get.  Like in your husband just informed you that you can't attend the semi-annual shoe sale at Nordstrom ugly. A perfectly civil and ordinary custom can cause a lovely married couple to actually NOT speak for the 12 days of Christmas.


We lived it twice in my house for 2010. Hopefully we will laugh about it in 2011.  The first time I was so excited, the anticipation of our coordinated silly outfits - Christmas jammies by Hanna Andersson -  sitting under the stocking as a family of five for the first time; quickly disappeared as our two year old threw a tantrum of epic proportions over putting on the jammies, fearing it was bedtime long before he was ready.  My husband, a photographer, testing the babies' patience with lighting and test shots. Harsh words exchanged between parents and we hadn't taken nary a photograph.  Finally all the kids dressed and our two year old cooperated by being allowed to be the "expert" button pusher on the camera for the evening. Of course, being ever the woman, I hated half the photos without cause and the half I liked created the annual argument as my husband was upset over one or both babies not looking at the camera.  Meh, I feel, as they are infants. You win some and you lose some in that category and we should be concentrating the happy child efforts on the two year old. But my husband was equally passionate about that fight.  Then there was the battle over whether the shot should be a close-up of the family or wide and include background.  The list went on as long as the final Harry Potter novel.  I thought we had settled on a picture and to my surprise on the day I asked my husband for the photo to be printed out.... I was informed of the need for a RESHOOT.  He had changed his mind and decided he couldn't live with any of the pictures we had taken. Photographers. Sheesh. 


So, today we reshot.  The test shots and light balancing done well ahead of time, babies fed and happy.  Our two year old napped and rested.  We even told him his "Elf on A Shelf" wanted a picture of the family to take to Santa Claus tonight and would he please get dressed? Piece O' Cake.  World's Best Timer Boy? Check!  Argument over the number of shots to be taken and babies looking up?  Right on time!  Turns into stomping, sulking adults.  It's so silly and serious at the same time.   One photo that will represent your family to the world for next year.  You want it to be perfect of course, and one's passions don't cave easy.  We've since compromised and are quite pleased with the our results based on only a one hour standoff, Part Deux.  


But on this seemingly strange annual argument, can't we all get along?