A couple of my friends have recently mentioned self-gifting, sharing that they reward themselves for hard work by checking a thing or two off their own wish list before Santa comes to visit. I've never thought about it in those terms, but the family and I do have some traditions this season that involve pampering ourselves. In the midst of the hustle and bustle and shopping for everyone else, I think it's important to indulge a few of our own whims. The first thing on the docket? The holiday pajama photoshoot!
Yup, that's right. We're one of those families that gets decked out in our PJs, points a professional-grade camera at ourselves, and delivers that awesomeness via postal mail to our loved ones.
It's our special annual photo gift to the world.
You're welcome, world.
It started with grandma. So many gifting traditions do, don't they? Grandma used to get matching outfits for the entire family during various seasonal events, then make us all crowd around and pose for a photo that would eventually be blown up and placed in some ginormous gold frame right in the entryway for everyone to admire. It was pretty much the best thing ever, and as a kid I SO looked forward to opening those boxes.
Naturally, I chose to continue that excitement with my own children. It's funny how a pair of PJs can elicit so many squeals and smiles. It's not the pajamas themselves, necessarily, but what they represent. When that bow-adorned flannel and cotton makes an appearance, we all know what's next. Hot chocolate on the couch, holiday movies, carol-singing and lots of cheer.
One of the tricks to keeping this tradition interesting and engaging year-after-year is changing up the scenery. We've done fireside shoots, camping backdrops, and now an outdoor holiday pajama photoshoot!
We don't go all matchy-matchy like grandma used to, but I do try to coordinate colors so we have a cohesive look and feel. We partnered with Old Navy to spotlight this year's pajama picks, and I found so many awesome picks that could work with families looking for selections ranging from bright and cheery to refined, traditional or quirky. I started with this Polar Bear PJ selection for myself, and then pulled colors from that for everyone else's pajamas. Blue, grey, off-white, red and green threads made their way into our outfits in various ways.
This ironic Silent Night set took center stage on the toddler, contrasting cutely with his big brother's red-and-grey set and his little brother's sweet footies. Some Boy is ALL about trains, so there was pretty much no option for him other than this locomotive sleeper which added some nice depth to the photos by varying the patterns.
Nate, of course, went the classic route with a pair of flannel bottoms and a soft-washed v-neck.
When we indulge in cozy celebration, we go ALL out. Along with their new pajamas, everyone also gets accessories like booties and beanies. The boys had a blast with a cute critter hat, a traditional beanie, some tech-tip gloves and a tie-top hat for the baby.
For shoes, the little ones donned red sueded boots and matching grey slip-ons. The big boy wanted to match his dad with high-tops!
Does your family do a classic holiday pajama photoshoot?