In a past entry, I discussed a yearly Christmas tradition that we have as a family. Nearing December, usually at the first Sunday of Advent, I'd take pictures of the kids by the Christmas Tree. I then arrange all the past and present Christmas pictures into a Christmas Collage. Before Christmas, I'd send the collage to friends as Christmas Cards or electronic greeting cards.
The collages have since evolved into Christmas Slideshows which I also now post in social networking sites like Facebook.
How is this Tradition Unique
Christmas' Noche Buena (Christmas Dinner) and Misa de Gallo (Christmas Dawn Masses) are a couple of the more traditional events that we have in our culture. Big business have fireworks display in December. Kris Kringles which culminate in Christmas parties and parlor games are very popular with the younger crowd.
At home, the kids have started looking forward to the Christmas Picture at Christmas time. Not many families I know do, or have done, this. Why?
Firstly, you and your family need to be consistent with the tradition. One year without pictures throws the entire series off. It takes discipline to settle the kids for a pictorial, setup the camera and then work on the pictures later for a nice little package.
But the effort is all worth it. You get to be creative in how you present the pictures and that itself is highly rewarding. Friends often exclaim how the collage and slideshow neatly "documents" the yearly growth of the kids.
This tradition of ours became an Top Ten entry to The Morning Rush with Chico and Delamar. I texted this entry to the radio program and learned later that it landed number 1 spot in the Top Ten segment!
Time Lapse Photography Technique
My inspiration for this tradition came from a page in a Photography magazine I read a long time ago. The article featured a special on Time Lapse Photography.
Submitted for the article were a series of photographs that show a father and a daughter's day at the beach. Both were wearing swimwear and its obvious a camera was set on a tripod to take photos of them on the same exact spot every year for four decades!
Not all photos were published of course, but you'd see how everything has changed in their photos. The little girl became a young teen and then a mature lady. The dad started in the photos as a very fit good-looking young man until the hunched shoulders and receding hairline took over.
Even the swimwear styles have evidently changed in the photos. The open public beach with the pounding waves transformed into a private small resort, and then later, a major developement with small buildings.
"Ah, such is life", I mused, as I looked through the article's photos.
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