Christmas Eve at our house was a hotbed of perpetual motion with four young boys impatiently awaiting the time when we could gather around the tree because - come on! - there were gifts under that tree with their names on them and they wanted to see what fabulous new toys they were going to take home.  But first - The Photo. The yearly gathering together of the young ones to capture the perfect Christmas image that will be cherished for years to come.  So we lined up the boys (we would add the sweet baby girl after a few shots of just the boys) and four adults began vying for the attention of the active youngsters. I'm sure you've all been there.  You know the chaos that ensues.  Kids looking in all directions; the constant sound of "cheeeeeeeeese".  So each of us clicked away on cell phones and digital cameras and we all hoped that somewhere, in those dozens of images, we would find THE ONE.

Two days later, as I scrolled through the images, I realized there was not one perfect picture in the bunch.  This one was blurry. Someone's eyes were closed in that one. In another, someone's mouth was open and another child was looking at who knows what. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, but decided to continue with the editing because I wanted at least some images from that magical evening. And as I continued to edit, I began to realize that what was captured in the click of a shutter was exactly what was going on at that moment in time - in all the glorious chaos that is our family.  The smiles, the open mouths, and the closed eyes.  And in those imperfect images, I found exactly what I was hoping for:  Perfection.

So the next time you gather the family together for your holiday pictures (or any other special occasion), remember that what's most important is not capturing the perfect image, but capturing the image perfectly.