what will they remember?

This year, the boys are getting just a little bit more excited about Christmas.  They still don’t totally get what’s going on, after all, my oldest is only 3 1/2 right now.  But you can definitely tell they are starting to believe in the magic of the holidays.  It’s so fun to see.  And I know I’m in this precious little window of time where they are really excited about everything, but not greedy yet!  It feels like the real spirit of the holiday, they’re naïve and just super excited about the twinkling lights, Santa Claus, parties, Christmas songs, going to pick out a tree…

Before I go out on shoots of other people’s kids, I always ask my clients a bunch of questions.  My very favorite one?  “What do you want your kids to most remember about their childhood?”.  After all, I am hoping to freeze time and capture moments for them…and the answers to this one always make me smile.

So what are some things they hoped their kids would remember about their childhood most?  That it is filled with laughter…good times with friends and their family…how carefree their life is…that they are safe and loved…that they could be silly and have fun…their best friends…freedom…their dog…that they were loved above all things.

Well that pretty much sums it up, right?

They say your first conscious memories start around age 3.  So that means that my sweet little Charlie just *might* remember Christmas this year.  One of his first memories might be of the holidays this year, and what do I hope?  That it’s magic.  That it’s warm.  That he feels nothing but love and joy.  And that he doesn’t get too annoyed with his little brother when they fight over taking turns with all of the toys that are surely about to come their way.  Merry Christmas everyone!