Slow Down Christmas
Christmas Lights
Multi-colored lights fill one of our Christmas trees. This one happens to be the Christmas tree on our front porch, if you are curious.
As I am posting this photo and these accompanying words, it is the middle of December. Usually by this time, I have posted some Christmas photos, anywhere from a few to several, depending on the year and your definition of those words. But this year, I have only posted one piece of Christmas art. Before today, of course.
I am not really sure why, but this year the Christmas season seems to be flying right on by. We have some of our decorations up, but there is still more to do. Laura has a good handle on our overall Christmas gift shopping, although I still have a few gifts for her outstanding. So from that standpoint, we are probably right on schedule, if there were such a thing as a Christmas schedule. There is not such a thing that I know of, except that it is probably best not to save Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve, which I won’t. So that is all good.
But in other ways, it seems like this Christmas season is flying right on by. It seems like we just had Thanksgiving, and now it is less than two weeks until Christmas Day. Didn’t Santa just arrive at Macy’s on the Thanksgiving Parade a couple of days ago? What do you mean that it was over two weeks ago? Seriously?
And we still have not sent out our Christmas cards, either. We have the cards here, but they still have to be addressed and stamped and sent out. That will happen soon.
Enjoy It
There has been a lot going on this year, and especially this month. Nothing bad, just stuff, just life. Events to go to, Christmas and non-Christmas shopping to do, a college student to pick up from the Sunflower State, work, and so on. And just life in general, too.
Although it might sound like it, none of this is a complaint. Life goes on, and it is good to be alive. It is good to be able to do things, unlike a couple of years ago when we all mostly stayed in our homes. And it is good to have a child to bring home from college for a few weeks, even if it does change the home dynamic just a bit. Life is good, even when there is a lot going on.
Instead of a complaint, this is just a reminder to you and to me to slow down and enjoy the Christmas season as much as possible, whenever you have the chance. That is what I am doing.
Sometimes, that slowing down involves just taking a few minutes to take some photos of the lights on the Christmas trees. And that is what you see here.
Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!” - Luke 2:13-14
About the Photo
For this photo, I chose the front porch Christmas tree instead of our main Christmas tree in the den. I love all of the ornaments on the main tree. But the front porch tree only has lights and bows, and I wanted that simple look for this photo. I will probably share a photo of the main tree later on.
Also, I chose the 50mm prime lens for this photo. That would give me a great amount of bokeh (the blurry parts of the photo) which always looks great with Christmas lights.
Photo: A single JPG exposure, processed in GIMP and Raw Therapee. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: SonyFE 50mm f/1.8
Date: December 12, 2022
Location: Williston, Tennessee
