While I fully feel that way – that song gives me a slight touch of PTSD. When I was a little girl, before I dreamed of becoming a wedding photographer, I dreamed of becoming a famous singer. There were two problems… 1. Believe it or not, I actually DON’T like to be the center of attention, and struggle with becoming a total mouse on stage and 2. Uh… I can’t actually sing.

But back then my parents were kind enough to humor me and put me and my sister in “vocal lessons”. You had to be sure to call it VOCAL because it sounded way fancier than VOICE. Anyway… we had a Christmas program, and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year was my solo song… My proud parents recorded it… and during a mortifying playback at home in front of friends and family, I was faced with the terrifying reality that I was a terrible singer.

So yeah – that song has never sat right with me after that experience. HOWEVER, this IS the most wonderful time of year and I might actually qualify in the running for worlds cheesiest Christmas Dork. I love everything about this time of year. Every day I come down stairs to my Christmas tree I smile, and I’m as excited as my 2 year old niece when seeing Christmas lights….

Most importantly… I’m a total nerd of nerds for my family. I freaking LOVE my crazy ass, wine drinkin’, party throwin’, loud talkin’, each other lovin’, big, huge family. And I get extra excited about seeing all of them this time of year, even though we see each other all year long for the most part.

And not to get too serious – but I also realize that not everyone is as lucky as me this time of year. Not everyone loves their family, not everyone wants to be with their family, not everyone has family. So I try to give extra this time of year as well because I believe everyone should have at least a little glimmer of gifts from others, whether family or not. Whether it’s cooking for the homeless, donating a bag of groceries, or just sending extra love notes to those who need them… it doesn’t have to cost money, time is often more valuable. Just don’t forget to give this season, friends!

And finally… my other favorite part of this year is photographing families. I talk a lot about mini sessions, and most of the year I’m talking about wedding photography… because it’s no secret that I photograph weddings far more often than anything else… but I love that this time of year allows me to change it up and work with beautiful families like the Mirtle’s. Our full portrait session (as opposed to mini’s) in Anaheim Hills was a blast. Their sweetness, laughter, beautiful smiles, and truly apparent love for each other was so easy to capture and such a good reminder of what this time of year is all about. Love.

Take a look:

PS – be kind everywhere you go. Say hello to people. You never know who you’ll meet that will become a dear friend. I met Brenda at Yoga and then I got to photograph her beautiful family… and I feel so lucky to call her a friend, yoga pal AND client 🙂

For more information on wedding photography, family portraits, or anything else photography related – check out my website at http://www.briannacaster.com and send me a message! 🙂

Happy Holidays Friends!