Mele Kalikimaka...

.... means Merry Christmas in Hawaiian, which is where I would LOVE to be about right now. Who wouldn't right? I was just listening to Christmas songs today and this one came on (you can't have Christmas songs without Bing Crosby singing some of them) which made me think about one of my Christmas pictures that I had taken a few days ago. So I am connecting to Brandi's picture by a song; along with the fact that Mr. Hippo looked like he was in some water and my picture has water in it.



I couldn't figure out how to align this center so, sorry.

Nikon D2X
Lens 18mm to 200mm at 105mm
Aperture F/8
Shutter Speed 1 sec.
ISO 400
No Flash, I did add a soft filter to this because I like the look of it and filters are fun, otherwise not much else was done to this picture.

If you look really closely you can see that this ornament says "Aloha Hawaii" on it. I have a tradition of picking up an ornament from every place that I vacation at. So our tree is full of Colton's handiwork and ornaments from the different places around the country we have been. It's a lot of fun to put the ornaments up and talk about and remember that particular vacation and something that we had done. Colton also really enjoys helping me to pick out the ornaments so it's a good way to get him to come shopping with me as well.

Sere

Tradition

Christmas is such an event these days. It has become a retail orgasm of sales and shopping, so much so that I think people forget sometimes to slow down, look around, and enjoy what Christmas really is. Whatever your persuasion on the Christian center that is Christmas, I think it's not going out on a limb to say that family and family traditions surrounding the holiday is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the season.

For me and my brood (Kristin and my two boys), traditions spring up when we least expect it. This year, Ethan has been immensely proud of his collection of 6 nutcracker ornaments (ironic since he's deathly allergic to tree nuts!). Every night he makes sure they are perched dutifully, protecting the base of his bedside lamp. When I mentioned that Grandpa has a fantastic collection of nutcrackers and that he might let Ethan borrow one, he was ecstatic. He went further and said that maybe Grampa would like to borrow one of his. A phone call later and tradition was born.

This is a picture of Grandpa's nutcracker. Ethan helped me set it up and I did my best not to appear in the shot. The ornament has the inscription "Friend to Friend." It was just too perfect. I used a long telephoto and a second tree to help obscure my presence. I was thwarted by my lack of tripod. I made due but I simply must get a new tripod. It's time. I got a shot I can live with, but I really want another go at it.


Canon 30D
Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 (pretty crappy lens really)
Shutter Spread 1/15
Aperture 5.0
ISO 400
Christmas Lighting only

So what traditions do you have that might be unique or surprising? I'd love to hear about them! Stay tuned for our guest photographer Myndi, the winner of the most recent WW challenge. Be safe this season and be sure to take the time to enjoy your traditions.

Basking in family tradition,

Scott