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I need your help!

Here's the truth of it.  Christmas card season is coming up and I'm always in a bit of a quandary over this.  
And here's why...


I want to get cards from people.  It's one of my most favorite things about Christmas!...the cards.


However, there are a couple facts: 


Fact 1: Unless you send out cards, not as many people send you one back.  
I learned this last year when I was being a Scrooge and didn't send out cards.   It's the grown-up version of exchanging baseball cards.


Fact 2: People really just want to see a picture.  The letter is a fun bonus, but really, it's all about the picture.


Well, this poses an awkward situation for someone who is single.  I'm sorry, but it's just kind of uncomfortable to send out a Christmas card picture of just me...on second thought, I think it's uncomfortable for someone to get that card as well.  But, if I want cards and it's all about the picture...what am I supposed to do?


So this is where I need your help, y'all!!  I have a last-resort-idea, but think it would be fun to get your ideas on what you think I should do for my Christmas card picture!  There may even be a prize for the winner whose idea is chosen...so help me out here, friends!  No idea is too crazy, out there, boring, or weird.  I want them all! You know me...I'll consider about anything.







25 comments:

Klint & Sarah said...

Hmmm...

1. I REALLY think you should send out a picture....regardless of what it is

2. How about incorporating your nieces and nephews in the picture (I know you did this a couple years back.and it was awesome....maybe you could be in the pics with them?)

Don't worry about giving me the prize....since I'm still waiting on those awesome note cards I won from the Lying Down game!! Hahaha!!!!

;)

leah said...

oh that's what i was going to say!! (nieces & nephews)

how about something 'your favorite things' or 'all i want for christmas is...'

or like your year in review? just pictures from here & there of your past year, events, family, people in your life.

i'm sure whatever you decide will be grand!

(excited to see you this weekend!!)

M. said...

Tami- I'm kinda in the same boat as you, but I absolutly LOVE getting Christmas cards... So what do I do? Send out a bunch to get a bunch! :-)
One Year I had been on like 4 vacations so I had a collage of pictures for the 4 trips and put...There's no place like Home for the Holidays! :)

I think you would rock this go around and take pictures of letters...to spell out a holiday greeting like Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays... you get the idea. And then you can be one of the letters... so then its personalized to you but its not just a picture of you your sending out! :)

I want a card!!! :)

Carmen O. said...

I would love a pic of just you, Tam. It doesn't have to be creative or unbelievably rock-star-photographer amazing. Just you. That's the only reason we really want cards anyway - to hold in our hand a bit of the people we love. Don't stress. Just click, edit, and send.

Bekah Brooks said...

Wow - I vote for Miranda - what a cool idea, to pose as one of the letters!!! When I was single, I wanted to send Christmas pictures out, but didn't have any pets or anything, so one year I had a picture of me in a winter coat in front of a window with a candle in the window (at an old school), and another year I took a "Nativity" picture with my nices and nephews, and I was Joseph - it was fun, and they don't mind being in the pictures with you! Another idea would be to send out your Christmas cards a little early, with some Christmas trivia or something included, and when people mail you their Christmas card, ask them to include their answers to the riddles/trivia...You could also do a collage of "what Christmas means to me", and include different pictures (and maybe one with you and some of your family in it)...

Laura L. said...

You could do a set of pictures from memories in your life this past year. They'd likely have other people in them but the big essential is they have you.

heidi said...

I say make it even more awkward and do a very serious picture with an empty seat beside you and put, "Maybe next year?". haha. just joking.
I think you should find all the Santas around town and do pictures with them.

Tara said...

Hands down, love Heidi's idea the best! haha Made me actually LOL!:-)
Maybe you could superimpose yourself with all your favorite celebrities or even better we'll just get one of you when you're in your birthday parade and before you take off in your rocket ship with Edward! haha

Brooke said...

I think it would be neat to have your year in review in photos- like your pictures with the bride/groom you photographed, photos from trips you took, etc.

Jon y Amy said...

I am liking the ideas, a lot of great ones. I kind of like acknowledging awkward situations in an attempt to make it less awkward. Sometimes this works beautifully and other times it blows up and gets REALLY awkward. :) How about if in the letter you acknowledge what you wrote in your blog, along the lines of "I know it seems weird to send out a picture of just me, but I want a picture of you!" :) Then combine it with the idea of you and an empty chair. ;)

I am sure everyone would appreciate any picture of you!

Amber said...

I think this is one of those times you can totally use your profession . . .with all your fun travels of the past year, do a collage of favorite pictures from different trips (and can include fun pix of friends and you occasionally from them).

Or use just your professional pictures - like your 5 favorite wedding photos (and have one of you and the couple on it).

I guess what i like about those ideas is you by yourself on your christmas card doesn't define you. In fact, it makes you by yourself . .. pretty fun (which I think you are). : )

Daveana said...

Tami! You should totally do a Christmas Card. There are tons of good ideas listed. I would do pictures of you from he various places you've been this year. I like Heidi's ideas. I think something sporadic. If the pictures super fun, people will most likely be less focused on you being single.

Ben Luginbuhl said...

I think you should send a picture of yourself planking - you could do locations all over town. Now THAT would be a card to remember! : ) You can expect a card from the Lug's!

Erin said...

I am in the process of trying to capture a Christmas card too:). After I read your blog and started to eat my lunch and these are the thoughts that came to me.
1) Whats your ministry/or something you do daily. Shoot that or you with that.
2) You are crazy artistic (or I think so)so what about you but an artistic shot not one of you simply looking and smiling at the camera. Maybe not even your face, but maybe you standing in your cowboy boots:) and a shot of you from the waist down, or some other artistic angle of you in a shot.
Good Luck!
Blessings from Ja!

arlan and katie said...

hmm...all of the above are great ideas...one year, I climbed (skirt & all) on top of the "Welcome to Normal" sign, wearing a cream sweater with a question mark taped on with electrical tape...that was great! Another year I did one with my little Katya from Ukraine...anything you chose will be fine but I agree-our Christmas card list is OUT OF CONTROL simply because I WANT WANT WANT cards back! My husband thinks it's a disease & always says "well, it's that time of year again to take out a small loan for you to send your cards out"...okay, enough about me...

1. nieces & nephews
2. "an average day of tamika" collage
3. pictures of YOU at your photo shoots
4. everyone always likes the "out-takes" of movies so use that idea with pictures of your models or yourself in "out-take" type poses-the sillier the better!
5. make yourself a little map collage of all the places you've shot around the US this year...there's quite a few if I recall.

Good luck!
KT

Abby Pfeiffer said...

You should send a little camera as a paper ornament, or a bunch of pictures sitting on a table that are you and all the clients you've had this year!

megs @ whadusay said...

Wow, you have a ton of good ideas. I don't know how hard this would be, probably very time consuming, but you know those big pictures that are made up of lots of little pictures... maybe you could do something like that??

Whatever you decide I have no doubt it will be fantastic.

emilykate said...

You take gorgeous photos. And you are gorgeous. So send out a picture you took, or one of you, and either way you win...I say, if you want to send something, do it! You don't need to add in nieces or anything/one else...you're cool enough to stand alone. Plus, you'd be sending them to people who love you and wouldn't think it was weird.

emilykate said...

My comment sounds very "you go girl" or girl power or something. Ha.

Anonymous said...

This is my idea...go to the Bloomington airport and sit next to the statue on the bench ( you know the one of the weary traveler guy) put an elf hat on him and a Santa hat on you ( feel free to reverse that or choose antlers instead) and then smile ;). Use scarves, gloves or whatever works...Seasons greetings , BTW... it's that time of year so I pulled the string, screamed WHEEEEEEEEEE, and thought of you :D

Tish

vballsetter said...

Tami,
These are a lot of great ideas!!! I'm going to steal one of them for my Christmas card. I'm not sure which one is my favorite yet.
A couple of other ideas to add to the mix...
a. take a photo of yourself making it look like you are engaging the "audience" (i.e. taking a photo of them, pouring them a cup of tea, handing them a card) and then write a creative note with it that ties it all together
b. create a new tradition and do this one year after year - using the same prop/object every year, take a picture of it in important locations that mean something to you or were some of your adventures from the year. I've seen this done with cute little reindeer ornaments make out of plastic spoons. It was always fun to see where the "spoons" traveled that year.
Happy Thursday
Anita

smw said...

i didn't read the comments you've already gotten, so this may have been said, but you could do a picture collage of you doing all kinds of things through out the year. there could be other people in these events/pictures, so it's not just one pic of you. :)

Anonymous said...

wow!! the comments here are amazing, i seriously cannot wait to see what you do! looks like i'm in a super small minority...... to me the letter is AS meaningful as the picture! when i get a pic with no note at all, i think, where are the WORDS??? most people can put on a pretty show for the camera, but how is life, and are they doing OK? perhaps i feel this way because i'm so horrible keeping in touch the other 11 months of the year! by december i'm dying to know what's going on! hmmm maybe i need to work on that?? :\

Kasey said...

These are awesome ideas. It was fun for me to read them because I was picturing you doing each one. I think you should do them all and make a book out of it!!! Whatever you do, I better get a picture!

Anonymous said...

Mug shot.

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