Today’s guest blogger is Kaylin Kaupish, an editor at Angels on Earth.
Last year I wasn’t sure what to get my mom for Christmas. Nothing I saw in the stores seemed good enough, and I was tired of getting her some generic trinket every year. Christmas presents should be more meaningful, I thought. I wanted my present to come from the heart.
The idea came to me one day while I scrolled through Facebook. I saw a photo series where people used old pictures from their childhood and recreated them as adults. I loved the idea. That would be perfect for Mom. I looked through our old family photos and picked one from 16 years ago. It was the day we brought my little sister Vivian home from the hospital. My siblings and I sat in front of the apartment building we used to live in. I was 10 and held Vivian in my arms. My sister Zoe, who was 8 at the time, had her arms around me and our 4-year-old brother, Thomas. Now I just needed to get them together for the remake.
I messaged them in our sibling group chat. “I love it!” Zoe replied. “Yes!” Thomas said. “We still have that blanket I’m wrapped in!” Vivian said. When I went back home for Christmas, our dad drove us to the old apartment, and we all got in position. I wore a red shirt and tilted my head like in the original photo. Thomas had to slouch down because now he was taller than us all. Zoe put her arms around us both. Vivian, wrapped in the same blanket, even managed to make a funny baby face. Click! We compared the photos and giggled like kids again.
We presented the photo to Mom on Christmas day. She loved it so much she framed it and put it on the shelf next to the original. This year, if you aren’t sure what to get your friends or family, try doing a recreated photo. It’s fun, cheap, and comes from the heart.
