Thanks for the Memories

Does the holiday season put your memory files into overdrive? It does for me. As I’ve thought about today’s post, I kept coming back to memories. One in particular kept flooding my memory drive: the annual ritual that my cousin and I observed of going to visit Santa. I just knew that somewhere – somewhere – I had one of those photos.

It took less than five minutes to find it and I was so happy when I did. You see, my cousin was my best friend for the first 18 years of my life, and never more so than when we were young and almost inseparable. My guess is that this is probably the Macy’s Santa Claus as we lived in New York then. Macy’s had the best Santas!

What a treasure this photo is! And that brings me to the point of today’s post: we, you and I, we are the memory keepers in our families. We hold the power, a.k.a., the cameras in our hands.

Unfortunately, not all my memories have physical photos, they reside only in my heart and mind. One such memory is firmly etched in my heart and my mind. When my daughter was two years old, she was, as all two year olds are, in overdrive about Christmas.

On Christmas morning, we heard her tiptoe down the hallway from the bedrooms to the living room and then coming running back, saying at the top of her lungs, “He came! He really came!!” Oh! What I would give for a picture of that chubby little girl in her one piece sleeper, curls flying every which way, running to get us out of bed to share her joy. (And, yes, I'm pretty sure all that loot under the tree was for our daughter!)

This memory puts me on a fast track backwards to when I found out the truth about Santa. Do you remember how you found out? My granddaughter is nine and won’t reveal whether she “Believes” or not. But the fact that she chose a family outing to see the new Star Wars movie rather than our traditional visit to the Kentucky Horse Park to see the Southern Lights and Santa is a pretty good tip off.

But I digress. When I was seven years old, we lived in a two story home. I distinctly remember that Christmas Eve. I’d been hustled off to bed early so Santa would be able to come to our house. Like most seven year olds on Christmas Eve,  I couldn’t sleep. I was sure I heard Santa’s sleigh bells on our roof. So, what did I do? What any curious seven your old would do. I crept down the stairs – only to find my mother putting the toys under the Christmas tree. Yes. True story.

So where does all this reminiscing take us today? To the point I made earlier: we are the memory keepers. We have a sacred duty to click the shutters often this holiday season. You just never know when a seemingly mundane photo will trigger the most precious of memories.

Memory is such a fragile thing. Let’s do our part to keep memories alive with our photography. And with our stories! We’d love to have you share a memory or two in our comments today or with a photo in the Flickrstream or IG feed.

Happy Holidays!

Don't Keep Your Pictures in the Dark!

by Linda

Raise your hand if you scrapbook! Good for you! You are well schooled in the art of printing your pictures! Your hobby requires you to take it, print it, scrap it. I quite admire your creative talents and look with envy upon the pages you create! Such genius! Such imagination! Your books are amazing!

Sadly, I posses none of the talents that make a good scrapbooker.  I have always been pretty good at getting the pictures printed but then they were put in one of those generic nameless/faceless books. But I did (usually) put dates and events to each photo. (breaking my arm patting myself on the back here!)

But, oh you many scrapbookers, but what do you do with the pictures on your phone? Quick, go grab your phone and tell me how many pictures are in your camera roll. I'll wait.......

I currently have 2065.

what!

Yes, 2065 just in the past 2 years.

So, how many do you have? And how many have seen the light of day? Do they just reside quietly on your phone? Do you ever think "I should print that one"

Now, turning to Instagrammers, how many pictures are in your gallery? I have 1326. I started Instagramming in 2011. How many of your Instagram pictures have seen the light of day?

I am going to rock your world and tell you that you too can print ALL the photos hiding on your phone and/or Instagram. And you don't have to do anything! (well, not anything much)

One word- Chatbooks

It's an app, it's in the App Store and Google Play, and it's free. (my favorite thing!) Get it now! I'll wait...

You can set it up to create books from your photostream on your phone or Instagram. I choose Instagram. Each book has 60 pictures. I got 23 books, so far.

You can choose soft or hard cover. I chose hard cover for $2 more per book. My total for each book was $8.

Each spine will have the volume number with the date range. How fun is that!

But, Linda, I don't like EVERY picture in my stream! No problem! You can choose to skip any picture you don't like. Chatbooks keeps track up to 60 pictures and creates a book.

Each book is 6"x6" and your pictures are printed 4"x4". And BONUS! the date of each pictures is printed in the top left and if you added a description when you put it on Instagram, the description prints below the picture!

If you decide to print all your photostream/Instagram but don't feel like robbing a bank, Chatbooks will ship out however many you want at whatever interval you want. Once you are all caught up, Chatbooks will keep track of your pictures and when you hit the magic number-60-Chatbooks will ask you if you are ready for your next book. You can look at it and take out any photos you deem inappropriate.

If you take a vacay or go to an event and/or you have pictures from that, you can make a Chatbook with those pictures!

Chatbooks also offers beautiful 5"x5" prints on heavy cardstock.

Easy peasy! What are you waiting for? Get those pictures out of the dark! It's fun to look through the books!

...

you're welcome!

...

disclaimer: the people at Chatbooks don't know me from Adam. I'm just a happy camper and wanted to share

...

Life Reviewed

by Carol

image from titanichonorandglory.com

Deanna's thoughts about the movies last week brought to mind an idea for a post that I have long been pondering. Do you remember the beginning of the final scene of "Titanic!" ? As Rose, now elderly, lies in her bed passing away in her sleep, the camera pans over to her night table. The table is filled with framed pictures of Rose doing all the things she dreamed of doing when she was fighting for her survival in the cold waters of the Atlantic. Here is Rose riding a horse in a pair of pants. There is Rose getting ready to fly in an airplane, and there climbing on an elephant! And here with her children - there her grandchildren. Dreams big and small, come true. Cherished memories of a life well-lived; carefully framed in gratitude.

I have just returned from a visit to my parents. Every time I go to their house I pour through the family photographs. My one grandmother's family was wealthy before the depression, and my other grandmother was an artist. Round that out with a father who loved photography, and I am so fortunate to have many, many photographs and drawings of my family history. I just love to look closely at the clothes they wore, and the cities behind them. I even have grocery lists, showing a loaf of bread that costs 5 cents, a movie ticket, a telegram; clues to life in another time, and clues to their lives in particular. I would just love to talk to my grandmother who bobbed her hair in the 1920's causing my grandfather to stop speaking to her for days. Or to ask my artist grandmother what it was like to commute to Pratt art school in New York and be one of the only women on the bus. 

My paternal grandmother and grandfather

My maternal grandmother proudly holding my mother

I love to look at the expressions on their faces. It gives me a sense of timelessness. The same range of human emotions visible there in the 1920's (of course) as those we all feel  now. There is my three year old mother looking none to happy about the new baby sister who has just come home. My grandmother is looking quite flirty there on grandpa's lap. Parents from the 1800's showing off their babies at the beach with pride. People  bustling through New York, trying to get to work - model T's flying by, stirring up the dirt roads. A trip to Europe, standing near the Eiffel Tower, where I stood two summers ago.  It all just stirs my imagination.

Priceless expression - dethroned by the new addition!

Mother , happier, with her new umbrella

Anyway - it occurs to me that I am working on my collection, as are you all. It's what we all hope and pray for - dying safely and comfortable in our own beds, after long lives, surrounded by family and memories. I think of my nightstand. In recent years I have been fortunate to add favorite photos from New England, Arizona, France. I have beautiful portraits that I have taken of my family and my friends. I have a shelf that holds portraits of each pet who has shared my life. I have a picture of my childhood home, Mom and Dad outside. I know - I am a hopeless romantic!

Tell me - should we be so fortunate - what will your nightstand hold?