by Donna Shreve
The Annual Family Photo
I decided when our first child was born, we needed a yearly photo taken at Christmas. My childhood had included a family photo every four or five years at random times. In our yearly photos hair and clothing styles evolved over the years. We have even checked the previous photos to make sure we are not repeating outfits. Taking that Christmas photo was an event I had to fight the family to do each year. After forty-two years the family has actually thanked me for my insistence.
A camera was set up on a tri-pod and the timer set. John, my husband, had to rush to take his place. Various locations over the years have been tried. Some backdrops had better results than others. As soon as the second child could take directions, we always had an alternative pose that only some friends received. There was the year the boys decided to hold me horizontal in front of them. After they dropped me, I decided another pose would be helpful to my now bruised body.
One year featured all of us wearing Santa hats with as sad a face we could create. Another year we sat on our sofa and tried to look as if a train was ready to hit us. Some were a bit more subtle. I used to take our voted choice to the camera store to be reproduced.
One year the clerk thought he was doing me a favor when he pointed out to me that we all had our eyes closed. My response was to place the official photo next to the photo under scrutiny. He then got the joke.
Our front yard was another setting. This time we all stood with our backs to the camera. My youngest wanted this choice but I wouldn’t consent. Our male cat had wandered into the shot and busied himself cleaning himself with legs spread for better access. It was as if we had all turned our backs on him and given him some privacy.
In 2007, the family photo was taken in Ashland, Oregon. This year both sons were with a partner, Aaron with his wife and Brad with his boyfriend Matt. Our Christmas photo became a means over the years to introduce any new members to the family.
Ashland is full of many beautiful backgrounds for our photo. We had tried several and we agreed this current setting would be the last one. We took several poses when Matt announced we should do the next picture without him. John has a very homophobic brother who was living with their mother. Mack felt he should censor what came into the family’s home. Matt claimed without him in the picture, the chosen picture could be sent to John’s mother and brother. Brad then left the scene saying he couldn’t be included because he was gay. Rita became the next to leave claiming Mack did not like that she was Russian. I couldn’t be left out so I proclaimed that Mack had accused me of being a lesbian. That left John and Aaron. The picture was taken. Aaron later stated that he was disappointed he couldn’t think of an excuse to leave in time before the picture was taken.
We got a response about a week later from Mack. He might be crazy but not stupid. We received a picture of a computer screen with John and Aaron standing in as the politically correct family. In front of the screen was Mack making an unpleasant gesture with his middle finger.
Today if you visited our home, you would see all forty-two photos going up our stairs to the loft. Each photo has a story and now our grandson is watching the progression over the years with him being a part of them over the last six years.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 