Uh oh, I'm THAT mom!

Laura_A

New member
My girls are ALREADY complaining about how I make them wait to open their gifts on Christmas because I always have to take pics first...then I have to take pics during the process. Apparently they find this torturous and cruel! LOL
 
My kids have gotten used to it. There is nothing wrong with being that mom - it's something they will treasure when they are older. Plus...you know kids get off so easy these days a little torture never hurts. LOL!
 
My kids don't complain, yet, because I think they're so used to it. It's so bad, my husband will grab the camera if I'm doing something else. I've got them all trained!
 
LOL - Cheyanne is 12 now and was used to it but last year I decided that getting a photo of each gift was a bit much and I was spending all my time worrying about photos and not enjoying Christmas morning with her. Before I know it she'll be grown and gone. I know photos preserve the memory, but I just decided that I really didn't need quite so many :D
 
I take lots of pictures, but not one of each gift opened. I know I'd never scrap them all. I take a picture of them opening their 'big' gift and ones from relatives that live far away. Otherwise, it's kind of hit and miss what I take pictures of. My kids don't mind. In fact, my daughter (10) tells me that it is one of her favorite parts. She loves looking back at pictures from when she was little and seeing what she got.

My kids are really slow to unwrap stuff though. They find a gift, unwrap it, open it, play with it, and then set it aside before moving on to the next. Unwrapping gifts takes all morning (which is just how I like it) because the kids stop to play with everything as they go along.
 
I don't really snap shots of opening gifts anymore - the boys are all older and this year they are getting so few. Oh, maybe I'll take one of my 20 year old opening his big TV. ;)

We do the annual stand-in-front-of-the-tree-while-still-dressed-up-after-Christmas-Mass picture, and then I might snap a few throughout the day of them playing with their gifts.
 
We do candid photos on Christmas morning, which means who ever wants to pick up the camera can, which means Automatic setting & flash and lots of photos of parts of people. :) I'm good with it. I don't have the patience myself to make everyone wait for the photographer. I too want to open my presents NOW!!!! :)

After everyone is done opening & all the candid shots are taken I do get a pic of everyone with their favorite gift and take a photo of the tree with all the gifts under it the night before. Usually I get a pic of everyone with their wrapped gifts by them while waiting for person A to unwrap their gift. Person A is one of those people who carefully untapes things and carefully folds back the paper so it can be reused some other year that has yet to ever actually happen to the best of my knowledge so I have plenty of time while waiting to snap everyone else before setting the camera on the table for the free for all
 
hahahaha...they wait for me too....they know they have to get me up 1st before anybody goes downstairs LOL! I LOVE getting their reactions when they see everything wrapped for them.....and we ALWAYS do stockings 1st so I take a picture of them with their stockings before they are all dumped out, random, candid shots of everybody opening gifts, 1 picture of each kid opening their "big" gift, 1 of them with their "favorite" gift and 1 family potrait after everything is opened, bedheads and Christmas pj's and all.....lots of out takes and they are ususally my favorite!!!!!!
 
Im that mom too and while the kids will still let me I will continue to do it! :) I know I wont scrap them all but i still love having the memories to look back on.
 
I'm like Sherri...I usually take pics of the main gift and the ones from my parents but not every single one. I know they'll be glad they have these pictures when they're older...especially the ones of them rolling their eyes at me. lol
 
We always take turns opening gifts on Christmas. Someone plays "Santa" and hands a gift to whoever's turn it is. It helps us to enjoy each gift and it's also nice for taking photos. ;) I'm not a fan of everyone just tearing into everything at the same time.
 
My daughter doesn't complain anymore...she gets why I do it. Her husband is sooo not used to having a camera out all the time and it shows. But Im used to negotiating pictures from having my middle son who hated having his picture taken and I negotiated with him as well.
 
My son is cracking me up this year. When I first started the wrapping process we were all in the living room watching a movie, so he was concerned that he only had a couple of presents under the tree. He asked where his other presents were and I told him that they were hidden. He said, "Christmas is for giving, not for hiding. You don't have the Christmas spirit." I thought it was hysterical. We also do the one at a time opening thing to get good photos and to make it last longer.
 
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