12/11/09 Christmas Card Photos That Didn't Make the Cut

Every year, we take our own family photo for the annual Christmas cards. It usually involves me setting the camera on the self-timer and racing back to be in the frame while Tony tries to hold on to struggling cats who would rather be anywhere else at that moment. To say we do several takes is an understatement, and some years are more trying than others (difficulty of picture is exponentially proportional to the number of cats involved), but eventually we get a halfway decent family photo to send out to loved ones near and far. Recently however, I was flipping through my album of Misfit Christmas Card Photos, and I thought I'd share some of the ones that didn't quite make the cut.

How Tony really feels about Christmas card photos.


Because nothing brings the Christmas spirit like being able to see right up my nostrils. (Plus Tony is deliberately slouching because I asked him to sit up straight. If anyone deserves coal this year, it's him).

Notice anyone missing here? (this was a case of "Okay, I set the timer...Wait, did that just flash?")

Dixon makes a break for it. Everyone else tries to follow suit. (I'm laughing because the claws have severed an artery and the resulting blood loss has made me delirious)

Dixon sneaks back into the picture. Unfortunately, he and I are the only ones looking at the camera.

All the cats run away. Tony is resigned. I fall off the back of the chair seconds after the flash goes off.

This year, I had the bright idea of taking a separate picture of the cats. Ever try to get five cats to look at the camera at once?

"I'll give them a cat treat and you take the picture as soon as I'm out of the shot, okay?"

Somewhere around take 756, we get a usable picture. (Or to be more accurate, somewhere around take 755 my standards for what makes a successful picture drops dramatically). And then we end up with this:
Ya'll have a Merry Christmas, and may your family photos be just as much fun!