Three boys and a Santa...

(3 Boys and a Santa layout: American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories Mini Alphas--numbers--

and Christmas stickers by Creative Imaginations a few years back)

Yesterday, I shared with you 2 of my three Christmas albums. Well, here is the third...

The Santa Photo Album

I used to do an individual Santa layout for each year and put in in my Christmas album (the layout above was just for fun for the store last year).  A few years back I decided I wanted to have them all in one album. So I picked up another Making Memories leather 9x9 album (looks like they don't make that size in red anymore) and got to work. Again, just like my Ornament album, I wanted it to be quick and simple.

So I created a simple layout which included a shipping tag printed with the year, a background of Basic Grey papers and a 5x7 print of that year's photo. This is my first born at just 4 months!

I continued the layout throughout the album. Now...what to do when your 2 year old won't sit on Santa's lap AT ALL (the previous year mommy sat on Santa's lap and Jake sat on mine...a bit creepy in retrospect)? Since this was the year that Jake wouldn't even stand in line for Santa, much less get near him...I just documented it on the tag and grabbed a shot from Christmas morning.

And the next year...when Jake wouldn't get near Santa AGAIN? I just went with it and had 6 month old Tyler take a picture by himself. *Sigh* I knew if I was patient, Jake would eventually sit on Santa's lap again, right?

And he did...and he's the most happy about it now!

I love putting this book out on my coffee table during Christmas. The boys love to check out each year's photo.

And this years? Well, it's not their best. But I'm not that mom that insists on taking 500 photos, holding up the line hoping for the perfect one. Take a few, choose the best and move on. The kids are more interested in telling Santa their wishes anyway.

I like to buy the digital package at our mall. This year the package came with the photo on a thumb drive and then a $20 coupon for Shutterfly. Score! That reminds me, I need to place an order soon...it expires at the end of January.

I like to get the digital one so I can send it out to the grandparents without paying an arm and a leg for the Santa folks to print it. Plus, I can (say it with me) play in Photoshop. Am I the only one that detests the weird borders they put on it? Ugh.

So while it's not the best picture of the boys together...it's their Santa photo for 2009...and it's going in the album this week.

See, make it easy, and it gets done quickly. By mid-January I have all my Christmas layouts complete and in their albums. I wish I could say that about the rest of my year!