Merry Christmas!!! I hope you have been able to make some good memories with the ones you love this Christmas season! Yesterday Ryan and I celebrated Christmas with my family, and now were at his family’s house celebrating and getting ready to eat a yummy dinner and enjoy each others company…

Last week I watched The Big Next hosted by Justin and Mary…one of the questions that struck me the most was when they asked us to think about the photograph that means the most to us and why…so me being the extremely sentimental person that I am, decided it would be fun to share a few of my favorite Christmas pictures! My dad died from cancer when I was sixteen, so I feel like that’s one of the reasons that photography is so important to me. It’s a way to look back and spend time being thankful for the good things..and a way to cherish the people you love even after they’re gone. Last night my sister and I literally spent HOURS going through old family photos until about 2 AM…The best pictures are the ones that remind you of really good memories in my opinion…

This first picture is from Christmas a long time ago…My dad used to take me to see the Nutcracker at Christmastime as a daddy/daughter date and this was us right before heading to the theatre to see it…I thought of this picture the other day because Ryan and I drove passed the theatre in Richmond as people were pouring out of it after just seeing the Nutcracker…It gave me the idea for us to start the tradition of seeing it every year together! It was too late this year for us to get tickets, but that’s definitely a tradition we will be starting! Check out those bangs…

The second picture is from my last Christmas with my dad…Yes, it’s picnicked..dont judge you guys..I was sixteen and picnicking was the cool thing to do back then!! But it’s precious to me because it’s a reminder that Christmas is about so much more than just the gifts, the food, or Santa…Christmas is really about hope and love. It’s about the love that God has for all people..he loves us so much that he sent his son to be born on earth as a baby..so that he could grow up in this broken world and eventually die to save us from our sins so that we could live eternally..and so that I can see my dad again one day in heaven! For me that’s definitely something worth celebrating..I’m so thankful! And I’m so thankful for the time that I’ve gotten to spend with my family this Christmas season!

I hope you will cherish the time you have with the ones you love this holiday season!! Merry Christmas!