Abi Coop
Melissa Richard
Kristen Ryan
It’s snowing, there are twinkly lights everywhere, delicious smells are emerging from the kitchen, and festive music is sounding throughout your home. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and you and yours are just brimming with holiday cheer. But how on earth can you manage to be both the organizer and producer of all Christmas traditions and magic? Plus, documenting said magic and creating all other creative content (not to mention working, schooling, cooking, cleaning, transporting and all the other jobs that don’t disappear just because it’s December and you’re busy with other things). How can you manage to do it all while avoiding holiday burnout?
Well, first of all, you can’t always avoid holiday burnout. But here’s what you can do to keep the magic alive and make it easier:
As I prepared for the upcoming holidays, my phone, planner, random scrap papers, and my brain are riddled with lists: gift lists, baking lists, to-do lists, shopping lists, and of course, a list of photos I want to take. So, I say, be like Santa and start with a list. Make a list of holiday images you like to create this year. And start by writing down your favourite and most important family traditions, recipes, outings, and memories. Here’s a snippet of mine:
When I’ve assembled my list, I then consider how best to document that tradition. If you are a documentary photographer, this step will be straightforward for you. If you take a more curated approach, consider how best to execute the images you like to create. Take into account things like light, timing, wardrobe, props etc. For example, on my list is decorating the tree. However, I know I’m not going to take this image while we are actually decorating the tree because it’s definitely not a picturesque event in my home. There are bins and flocking everywhere, sweaty decorators, and it;s basically a big old mess. But, once the tree is assembled and the room has been tidied and arranged, I can set up a conceptual shot of one of my kids putting an ornament on the tree.
This system works for me. I get the moment, and the beautiful, well conceived image without the stress of trying to do it all while actually decorating the tree. This same approach of listing and conceptualizing my images in advance really helps when half our traditions happen when it’s very dark. I can plan lot of things during prime daylight hours. But some of my favourite parts of the season occur in very low light. This system allows me to think about a way to light the scene before hand. Or I can conceptualize the tradition in a totally different way so as to remember the tradition outside of a specific moment.
Let me explain: our very favourite December family tradition is to hold a Shepherd’s dinner where we dress up in shepherds’ clothes, prepare a simple dinner of breads, crackers, cheeses, meats, fruit, olives ect (things we imagine the shepherds of old would eat), and have a candlelit picnic on the living room floor. We read the nativity story together a enjoy our shepherd’s dinner. This happens in the dark, with plates of food and crumbs and kids everywhere. Instead of worrying about taking a picture of us eating, I will plan a picture of my little bunch of shepherd’s before or after the actual dinner to capture the memory of our favourite tradition in a way that for me, is much easier than trying to get a perfect image during the chaos of the actual dinner (which I’d rather enjoy without more stress too!).
After I’ve got my list and my ideas on how to execute my list, it’s important to make sure I have time on my side. Nothing burns me out or stresses me out faster than feeling out of time. To make sure I have ample time to get the holiday images on my list, I start early. I live in Canada where thanksgiving is in October. So, I feel no shame in putting my tree up early November and jumping right into Christmas season the day after Halloween. I know not everyone feels the same way as me or has that luxury. But the earlier you can get yourself ready, the more time you will have to do everything you want to do. And bear in mind, you don’t have to have all your decor set up to do simple things here and there!
The next thing I do to keep my Christmas motivation going strong and avoid season burnout is I try to separate my ART from our MEMORIES a little bit. I alluded to this idea while talking about how I document our tree decorating and our Shepherd’s Dinner. And obviously, this concept won’t apply to everyone, or every photography style. But I will often use our family traditions as inspiration for a portrait. Then I just enjoy the moment without worrying about “documenting” it.
This strategy allows me to get the beautiful portrait I’m envisioning while also allowing me and my children to actually enjoy our holiday traditions. For instance, when we decorate sugar cookies, the children, house, and everything therein is always coated in icing and sprinkles. Also, my hands are always so sticky and full helping five kids decorate that the thought of grabbing my camera to document is daunting and overwhelming. Instead, I just take some snapshots with my phone. Then I may use the cookies in a flatlay or portrait later on. This way, we get to enjoy the memory and I get to create some art. Double win!
Another tip for bringing all the holiday magic and avoiding holiday burnout is to make the photo taking into the actual tradition. This is probably my favourite thing to do. We love to take a picture of the first snow fall. So after eagerly awaiting the first flurries, the kids love to dress up and take a picture while catching flakes on their tongues. I use this technique with baking and other treats and flatlays too. My kids love to take their annual Christmas cookie or hot chocolate picture. They know it means they get to enjoy a special moment with mom and a special holiday treat too. And, we all love looking back on those recreated moments from year to year.
And finally, my last tip for avoiding holiday burnout is when you feel it coming on, take a break and just enjoy yourself. Putting down my camera and my list really helps me and my kids refocus on the spirit and joy of the season without the pressure to make things perfect.