Lara asked me if I was going to undertake another Hourly Photo Challenge on Christmas Day. I was already thinking of doing it, but wasn’t going to post about it. But then I considered it for 1.2 seconds and figured, why the heck not post about it?
Here are last year’s results.
As per previous Hourly Photos – this is how it works:
- The idea is to take one photo every hour, on the hour, for the whole day. Christmas = chaos, so don’t worry about precision. We can only do our best!
- We’re calling it Xmas 12 – the ultimate goal is to end up with at least 12 photos.
- Use whatever camera or mobile device you prefer. I’m using in iPhone, because it’s easy. Post them to your blog and/or your photosharing site as you are able. Just make sure you let us know in the comments below where you’re posting them so we can all have a look. Tag your photos “xmas12” so they’re easy to find. If you’re on Twitter use #xmas12 so we can follow the convo.
- Would you like to make this extra challenging for yourself? DON’T DO RETAKES. (!) This is not mandatory but I thought I’d throw it out there in case you’re the kind of person who likes a challenge. :)
- I also wanted to add that you don’t need to be a photographer in order to participate. I know some people are shy to post their photos, but this is not a contest or competition, it’s about documenting your day in an easy and interesting way and seeing how others do the same.
- Here’s a tip, if you have a mobile phone with an alarm clock set it for one minute before the hour i.e. at 7:59, 8:59 etc. This will give you a solid minute to get your camera ready and snap The Thing You Happened To Be Doing.
Please consider playing along! It’s really interesting to see what other people are doing at the same time you are. (Um, that is, if in the same time zone, but if not, that’s okay too.)
Also: it’s not a problem if you can’t upload as you go. Upload in batches when you have the chance. Or even the next day.
If you’re participating please let me know in the comments so I can see the results of your hard work, and if you’re happy to lurk, look for the Hourly Photo post starting sometime tomorrow morning. :) Woot!
It’s December 23. Last night we were about to walk to up to our neighbourhood rink for a short after-dinner skate (Day 22 of our 25 Days!) when I noticed a huge crowd of people standing on the stoop of a neighbour’s house. It took me a moment to realize what was going on there. They were carollers. They burst into song. It was Joy to the World, one of my favourite carols, sung in perfect harmony. The scene was lit by streetlamps and reflected snow and Christmas lights. And my eyes started to water. It was all so beautiful, and there can be no nicer gift than to open your front door to find a crowd of people singing.
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I THINK we’re in pretty good shape for Christmas.
- Christmas cards were designed, ordered, and sent awhile back. It seems many will reach their destination before Christmas. (!)
- After I admitted that baking wasn’t my thing I stopped worrying about it so much.
- I made you a gift!
- The bulk of the wrapping is done. I’m really happy about that. Normally we’re stuck wrapping late on Christmas Eve, which I hate, because I’d much rather be sitting on the couch, sipping a Bailey’s with Mark while we relax and stare at the tree.
I still need to figure out the menu for Christmas Eve dinner, do a quick shop and tidy, and buy dog food before the store closes for the holidays… all manageable stuff, which I am able to approach with fairly good cheer. :)
I might duck back in here again, between now and New Year’s (who am I kidding, I can’t stay away) but before you all scoot off to your families I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy holidays. Thank you for your support, your friendship, your reading along! It’s a gift you give to me every day.
Fa la la!
andrea
ETA: here’s last year’s Christmas photo, just for kicks.
There is only a smattering of people who’ve heard of Taffy Lane here in Ottawa. It’s in Orleans, actually. (Googlemap here.) If you’ve been there please raise your hand. If you haven’t, well, how shall I explain? Some Taffy Lane residents go hogwild with the Christmas decorations.
It’s a joy to behold. And sometimes it’s hard to know where to look:
I wonder, how did it start? Are there any annoyed neighbours? What are their hydro bills like at the end of the month?
We were there on Saturday night and Santa was there too, handing out candy canes.
We’ve been visiting Taffy Lane as part of our 25 Days of Christmas for the past handful of years. It’s a quick trip. Sometimes we bring hot chocolate or candy canes. This year we drove around the block once and decided to park at the church at the top of the street so we could have a second go on foot. It’s better to walk. Just bundle up and mind the traffic.
It is beautiful. I never leave without a smile on my face. It makes our humble home seem rather dark in comparison. Maybe next year we’ll kick it up a notch?
