I Recreated My Childhood Christmas Photos

Christmas with my family has always been steeped in tradition. We bake cookies, we watch White Christmas, and since I grew up an only child, one of my parents, aunts, uncles, or cousins will always delight in taking silly Christmas photos of me nearly every year. Eventually, I learned to accept my role as family goofball; and this year, to celebrate the past three decades of holiday hilarity, I decided to recreate some of those photos.

Of course, the Internet is peppered with great family photo recreations. If you haven't explored that realm yet, definitely take a few moments to check out the selection over at Awkward Family Photos. It's a site where laughter abounds, and a certain camaraderie can be found in the collective strangeness many families share when left to their own devices. Which, if you're home for the holidays, you might just be experiencing firsthand.

To share some of the silliness that made my childhood memorable (and made me the fun-loving, quirky adult I am today), I enlisted my mum to help me recreate a few Christmas memories. In the name of nostalgia and the excitement that is memory lane, the following is what we came up with.

1. Oh Christmas Tree!

The joy of Christmas morning can be pretty spectacular for kids big and small. Although I don't have that classy pink onesie anymore (I genuinely wish I did; that thing was cozy), I still have my Donald Duck slippers. A great part of the holiday season is looking back on Christmas mornings past, both to see what you and your loved ones were doing years ago and to contemplate what has and hasn't changed since. For instance, I'm pretty sure my big goofy smile is still intact.

2. Turkey Time

This one goes out to all the Jenny's, Jenni's, and Jennie's of the world who have had to endure years of turkey references. If your family is anything like mine, Jennie-o turkeys were likely a big part of your family holidays, almost entirely for the pun factor. Of course, when the original photo above was taken, I was just learning to sit, and I'm nearly certain this was the first turkey I had ever really seen.

These days, my family tends to gravitate toward organic birds, so I couldn't represent the Jennie-o love this time around with what we had on hand. That being said, I'm relatively certain I'm channeling the same level of confusion and awe my former self experienced at the sight of a turkey in a bag. I'd like to say it's because cooking turkey intimidates me. But modesty aside, I can brine a mighty fine bird.

3. Stuffed Animals Are The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Stuffed animals are somewhat equatable to a box of kittens, in that they have a tendency to bring pure joy to kids (and adults who are kids at heart). While I couldn't get ahold of the animals featured in the original shown above, taking a few moments to surround myself with fluffy friends of old was no trouble this Christmas season.

Still looking for more? Luckily, I'm not the only one updating childhood photos this time of year. Here are a few other fun pics from the Web.

4. Under(wear) The Tree

Oh, the difference 12 years makes. Some Christmas traditions are too strange to give up.

5. Ugly Holiday T-Shirts

So much joy. So much confusion. So much photobombing. Isn't this truly what the holidays are about?

Whatever your family traditions, however silly, strange, or reverent, here's hoping you have an excellent holiday this year. And if you happen to get bored while dinner is cooking, take a peek into your family albums, go on a walk down memory lane, and maybe even take 20 minutes to re-make some old holiday classics.

Images: Jen Schildgen