Week 42: Holiday Cheer!

One more Holiday themed post before we pack up the boxes and move on into the new year. And yes, our tree was down long ago. However, I have to admit that I was much more in the Holiday Spirit this year than for the past many - Jonah was almost completely the reason. He really enjoyed the season this year, seemed to understand most of it and was just a joy to be around. While our flight delays made for a hectic trip to Missouri, it was very worth it to spend more time with Jonah just being his (mostly) happy self.

It's a lot of fun for me to take Jonah back to Grandma Connie and Grandpa Jack's house around the Holidays. My mom loves to keep everything that has any hint of sentimental value and she brings every scrap of it out when decorating. There are decorations, ornaments and little trinkets from my childhood everywhere. Especially now that Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Nall are no longer living in their home and my mom "inherited" all of their belongings; there are trinkets, ornaments, etc. from their house as well. It's a trip down memory lane and it's a great deal of fun seeing Jonah discover it all for the first time.

The little Santa toy above was one of my favorites as a child. I remember it well and remember playing with it for hours at my Grandparents' house. Jonah found it this year and squealed with delight every time it popped and went flying into the air. The more he played, the more he squealed, giggled and asked for more. Then he started giggling and shaking with anticipation, just waiting for it to pop. He didn't want to leave it behind as we packed things up and headed for the airport. Grandma Connie handed it to me and told me to take it with us. I'm not sure if she wanted Jonah to have it or if she just wanted to get one item out of her house! I instantly saw a potential photo and dropped it into my camera bag.

It's nice to see some things don't change from generation to generation. The same toys that captured my attention as a child now capture my child's attention. That continuity is comforting.

This photo is a composite of five frames. Five frames out of 200-ish. Kristi helped by getting Santa ready in between attempts. She made a comment that she thought this shot was a bit more luck than skill - I'm pretty sure it lies firmly in both camps; I seemed to have neither today! Regardless, a big thanks to her for making this shot much easier on me. Each frame is lit by a Profoto strobe on camera right in a 3x4' softbox and an on-axis ringflash 2 stops down for fill. This is shot with my 135mm lens at f/7.1. Wave a little Photoshop magic over the top, et voila!