The last few years the holiday seasons have come and gone without any family pictures. I’ll blame 2016 on a newborn, but I don’t have much of an excuse for 2015 although the card that year may have been one of my favorites. In the past I’ve aimed for our holiday pictures to be pretty casual and true to us like these and these, but this year I felt like shaking things up a bit and going formal.
It’s become a tradition to take Milly and my niece to The Nutcracker every year, and we always get the girls new dresses for the occasion. The dress is beautiful and an easy thing to build off of. Just like decorating a room I want to use similar tones without being matchy-matchy. I picked up Domino’s dress at H&M on Cyber Monday for a song, and the cooler pink is nice with Milly’s blush color. Both girls’ shoes are from Old Navy Milly’s here, Domino’s here and Xander’s little blazer is H&M too.
The silver jewels on Milly’s dress reminded me of this dress I got several years ago for a concert I sang in, and then I picked her shoes to tie it all together even further. Micah’s had that suit for quite some time. It’s always good to get some wear out of the nice clothes we have but never seem to have a place to wear anymore, right?
The reality is, we shot these on a Tuesday morning at 8am because that’s what worked for everyone. Except Domino. The girl usually has some milk at 7:30 and is back down for another hour or so. She was not the most happy about this experience.
Ha! You win some, and you lose some. But if we got one decent family picture, I’d called it a win!
This is not an accurate portrayal of our daily life actually it’s pretty far from my sweatpants and 5-day-old hair, but it was really fun to get a bit fancy. People never dress up anymore, and it feels kind of sad sometimes. Phrases like that make me officially old, don’t they?
Have you taken family photos this year? Do you prefer a more casual vibe or something a bit more fancy?
Our Christmas portraits from 2018 can be found here.
Photos by the always talented Justin Salem Meyer.
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
Teri says
I agree, people SHOULD dress up more…and you and your family look fabulous! Merry (or Happy) Christmas!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Glad I’m not alone, thanks Teri!
Dianne says
Prettiest family picture I have seen in a very long time. You were so smart to do this. This looks like the Christmas we all dream of.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Very sweet, thank you Dianne!
Trish says
What a great idea! You will cherish these for sure.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks, Trish, I think I will!
Lisa goetz says
Beautiful family! I adore your sense of tradition and style. People don’t dress up anymore which is kind of sad. I remember growing up the beautiful dresses, hats and gloves my mother dressed me in. My favorite was my fur muff and red coat with black trim !!!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Yes, sounds beautiful Lisa! I know it’s not things that really matter, but they definitely feel nostalgic and can bring joy and I think most of us remember our dress up clothes more than our casual things!
Lori Narlock says
Gorgeous and as inspiring as your interior design. These are really wonderful photos that you and your children will treasure for ever. Wish I had that dress–you look so glamorous.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks, Lori!
Christy White says
Simply lovely!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thank you!
Sandra P says
Perfection! The best Christmas card I have ever seen. You and your family are gorgeous!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Very kind, thank you!
Kim says
Would it be too much if I just used this picture for my Christmas cards? 😂 Seriously- everything is just gorgeous- clothes, house, children YOU! I’m blind over here. 😍
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ha! Thank you, Kim, you’re so sweet!
Katy says
Where is YOUR dress from?? It’s magical! Love all of these photos. 🙂
themakerista@gmail.com says
Kathy, it’s from here http://rstyle.me/n/cvjqjcxf7n. They don’t have the exact dress anymore, as it’s a few years old, but several similar styles, cuts, and colors! Thank you!
diane stokes jones says
This photo — all of them — are beautiful! I love this idea and it definitely goes with your vibe without being stuffy or over the top pretentious. We did something similar about 10 years ago when our three daughters were in their early teens. We dressed in our finest, my husband in his velvet jacket and tie, and holding his shotgun.
themakerista@gmail.com says
That sounds beautiful! Thanks, Diane, happy weekend!
Bára says
I love your dress! And you look gorgeous in it too. Do you mind if I steal your idea. We always try to do something funny or unexpected, but i think it is time for a change :o)
themakerista@gmail.com says
Steal Away! It’s fun to get fancy sometimes!
Emily Jane says
You look stunning!!
themakerista@gmail.com says
That’s nice, thanks!
Jules says
Wow, beautiful people! Love the color scheme.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks so much!
Laura says
We kept it casual this year for our family photos, but I love yours! My favorite shot is your baby on the couch with her bottle–she’s so happy!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thank you, yes, she was!