Over the River and Through the Woods...

As I mentioned here, my dad and I ventured to Eagle River, Wisconsin, to see some of my relatives for Christmas.  In particular, my dad wanted to surprise his mother -- my grandmother Ethel -- with this holiday visit.  Because of various reasons, we hadn't seen her for Christmas in a really, really long time.  Too long of a time, in fact.  But rather than let her know that we would be there for Christmas, we instead simply showed up unannounced at her front door, presents in hand, on Christmas Eve.  (We had checked with my aunt that Grandma would be around, of course.  Didn't want the trip to be a complete waste).  I was just a tinsy-bit concerned that we would surprise Grandma a little too much, but no one keeled over from a shock-induced coronary during our visit, thankfully.  Grandma was tickled pink to see us, and we were happy to see her as well.  We talked and laughed, opened presents and posed for pictures.  Although Grandma as shy before my big camera, I still managed to take some nice portraits during our weekend holiday visit. 

(Grandmother Ethel, photographed December 2010)



Christmas Cheer

It's almost time for Christmas and I can't wait.  Mind you, there's a lot to do before I can relax and just take in the holiday.  Last minute presents to buy, packing to do before fighting the crowds at the airport, and, of course, lots of assignments to finish at work.  But that doesn't stop me from feeling some Christmas joy.  I planning on blaring Christmas music at my desk today and counting down the days until I can officially celebrate.  "Tis the season.

So, in response to my earlier post on Christmas, my friend Laura asked if any of the photos were taken with my lensbaby (lots of links for you to follow!).  None were, but that got me thinking.  Why don't I take some photos of my Christmas tree with my lensbaby?  Deep thoughts, right?  Honestly, though, I hadn't taken photos with the lensbaby for awhile.  In an almost shamefully long time.  But I immediately knew what about the lensbaby I would use to capture my Christmas cheer:  the star- and heart-shaped aperture disks. 

And ta-da!  My tree as re-envisioned by the lensbaby. 

(my Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)

Visions of Sugar Plums

I put up my Christmas tree last weekend.  It didn't take long.   

My tree -- which I've had for a few years now -- is a tiny, artificial, three-foot tree that came with its lights already strung.  Although I can't wait until I have a decent sized tree (not quite practical for my Brooklyn apartment) or a live tree (not doable since I go to Wisconsin for Christmas), I still manage to get pretty thrilled at the prospect of decorating my itsy-bitsy-fake tree.  Most of my ornaments have been collected during my globe-trotting adventures, so hanging them up on my tree not only gets me into the festive spirit, but also reminds me of the far-away places I've been.

If you have noticed any trend in my posting (or lack thereof), it's that I've been really busy with work the last couple of months.  I feel like my days have been reduced to going to the office, working late, then coming home and working even later on my laptop.  This leads to a very disgruntled, uninspired Kristen.  So, to try to counteract this bad temperament, I've been trying to post more (three posts in December already!) and take more photos.  Even if those photos are simply ones taken of my tiny Christmas tree at 1:30 in the morning, hypothetically speaking of course.

Although these are not the crispest photographs, I think there is something cool about the ethereal, semi-abstract quality of these shots.  The sublime bokeh affect really creates a dreamy feeling, when combined with the colorful glow of the Christmas lights.

(My Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)