Ready for Christmas

One of the things I'm thankful for around Thanksgiving is Christmas time. Although I've been enjoying the Christmas Season since September with some of my favorite music of all time (or if you count the Christmas lights in our living room that we haven't taken down for two years we've been enjoying it year-round,) Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas Season. What better way to kick-off the Christmas Season than to remember all the things for which you are thankful.

Each year, my dad puts up his Christmas village and train. We had a tradition growing up where each year we would each paint a house. Mine, of course, always looked the best (regardless of what my brother and sisters might say.) Since we've all grown-up somewhat, Dad supplemented his village with more professionally-done village homes....although they still don't look as good as the one's I did, I'm sure.

I love the mirror ice ponds. I've learned that Christmas decorations and lights look much better when taken without a flash. Generally, for that matter, point and shoot flashes really ruin a picture unless there is enough light from other directions to reduce the visually abrasive light the aggressive head-on light produces. I also really enjoy taking pictures from a 'being in there' point of view of tinier scaled environments. I think it adds depth and perspective to photographically 'imagine' what it would be like if that was your world.

Out of a half dozen attempts to get ornaments in focus (with no flash) this one is about the only one that turned out. I love how the clear glass is in focus and you can see all the surrounding lights reflecting in the glass. I love the classy Christmas colors in this picture.

Again, several attempts yielded this truly focused picture of a Christmas light. I love how the light filters through the texture of the plastic cover. Then add the actual glass light with its unique textures. I like how the light seems to concentrate on the tips of the flower. Then add the fir tree background with its needles adding a nice subtle texture.