Christmas Card Rejects

I'm not quite sure how I managed to rope myself into this put-a-picture-of-your-kid-on-a-Christmas-card thing, but let me just say that this is our fourth Christmas with Bella in our lives and on our cards and I'm in deep.

This picture is a reject but still pretty darn cute.

I'm obsessively compelled to make these cards and get them printed, signed and delivered in time. But it's even worse than all that because since the first card featured her in a cute winter hat, now they all have to involve her in a cute winter hat. Why you ask? Because I am an insane person.

I start panicking about the hat itself sometime around September, as soon as the winter hats start to hit the shelves. All hat options have to be seen, touched, compared and thought about before I can make a choice. Then Bella herself has to pre-approve the selection because Lord knows if she doesn't like the hat, there will be no picture taken. FACT.

The taking of photo haunts me for months until I finally land a day that seems sunny enough coupled with a moment where Bella is happy and willing. Last year she refused to smile at all between early October and mid-December, so the card, while still very cute, was rather on the glum side.

This year I got lucky. I managed to have a semi-free morning on a semi-nice day with a sort of happy kid. I think our card this year totally reflects this perfect storm of coincidences. But I'm not going to lie. We had to take a lot of photos to get the three that ended up on the card. A. Lot. Of. Photos.

Would hate to see these Christmas card rejects, each so funny and adorable in their own way, go to waste. And so, voila! I present you with my favourite selection of this year's unselected.

There's always that moment in the shoot when things get a little bit sad.

Thought we might go artsy this year. Yeah, no. Not quite card material.

There's always that moment in the shoot when she gets crazy eyes.

I wish this was real but full disclosure: a staged picking.

This, however, was real.

Taking the Christmas card photos is serious business.

Mom gets in on the action.

All I want for Christmas is a set of lashes exactly like hers.

Finally, with the photos in the bag, we all deserve a sweet reward. 

The 2011 card is officially in distribution. If you're reading this, you're probably getting one. But if not, we wish you the very merriest of holiday seasons and all the love, joy and belly-laughs you can handle in 2012.