New Years Eve Family Pictures

Share this post

New Years Eve Family Pictures are an annual family picture tradition that is so fun to look back on year after year. They are relaxed and fun and great for memory keeping.

This was the picture that started our yearly New Years Eve family picture tradition. We were headed out for a New Years lunch with the kids because Wes was standing overnight duty and we decided to toast the new year with apple cider with the kids. I set up a tripod really fast and turned on the self-timer and to date, this is one of my favorite family pictures of all time. As you can tell, there are no coordinated outfits, there is no theme, just a quick family picture that has become a yearly family tradition. And my mom goggles tear up whenever I look at it. Look at those sweet little babies.

The beauty of these family pictures is that they are super relaxed and chill. We don’t get dressed up (unless we are headed out to dinner or something) and I use the camera that is closest to me. Whether it is my DSLR or my camera phone. All I care about it having a picture. We love looking back at them from year to year and seeing how much we have changed. When we started this, we had literal babies, and now we have teenagers. It is crazy to be reminded of how quickly it goes by.

These photos always make me laugh because as you can see, one of my kids was really into this. Will has never taken more than the teeny tiniest sip because he does not like anything with bubbles. (He has never had a soda in his almost 14 years.) Ava likes sparkling cider but is far more reserved than my party boy. Clay LOVED it from the start and when we taught him to say “cheers!” and to gently clink glasses, he thought that it was the best day of his little life.

I promise you that he was only drinking apple cider, but I’m pretty sure he got baby drunk from it. I crack up whenever I see these pictures pop up in my memories. And it is such an indication of who he was going to become. The boy likes a party. He also really likes to dance. And he really likes bubbly drinks.

(Carmichael, California – 2010)

The New Years Family Picture tradition continued the next year. This time, we are sitting on our porch in Leavenworth, Kansas. Wes was going to a one year school, so this porch wasn’t ours for very long. 365 days exactly. This is an unedited iPhone picture. (Now I would make sure to edit my picture.) I’m pretty sure a neighbor was walking by and we grabbed them and asked them to take a picture of us. Also, it must have a been a very warm December evening in Kansas. Clay doesn’t even have shoes on.

(Leavenworth, Kansas – 2011)

(Alexandria, Virginia – 2012)

2012 and 2013 found us in Alexandria, VA. The picture above was taken with my DSLR stacked on a bunch of cookbooks, and I would run back and forth to push the shutter and hope that I could get in the frame in time. I remember the picture below was taken using a tripod and a remote because you can see Will trying to hide it and giddy from being able to push the button.

(Alexandria, Virginia – 2013)

(Falmouth, Massachusetts – 2014)

This was taken before an early dinner in town. I am pretty sure that we went to British Beer Company. We took this in my bedroom because it was the best light in the house. I remember having to very carefully get back onto the bed after pressing the shutter because it would spill everyone’s drinks if I hopped too hard.

(Falmouth, Massachusetts – 2015)

God bless the selfie stick. I remember that this picture was taken when it was pretty dark outside, hence the graininess. This was the year that I introduced the kids to raclette. They love it and it’s such a fun dinner to do with kids. It takes a little while, so the conversation is really good and we talk about the best parts of our year. I think that we are going to do it again this year and I am going to get some conversation starters. The kids love them.

(Quebec City, Quebec, Canada – 2016)

We went to Montreal and Quebec City for the Christmas holiday and drove home on New Year’s Eve. Instead of our usual apple cider and champagne, we toasted with our beloved Timmy’s. Hot chocolates for the kids and double-doubles for mom and dad. Even being on the road wasn’t going to stop us from taking our annual New year’s family picture.

It goes without saying, that these pictures are not my finest. I am a much better photographer than they would suggest. But there are times in life when being a mom capturing a moment outweighs the precision that I normally use to take pictures. I am perfectly happy with an iPhone picture for New Years Eve family pictures because it’s about the memory and not another thing to stress you out. Save that for your Christmas card pictures. ?