I woke up this morning to the big girls hovering over me with plans to remove a mole from my shoulder with a barrette and a comb. It could have been worse, I know a dad who once woke up with a scalpal between his teeth. Meanwhile, Chris was in their bathroom trying to fish flushed Dixie cups out of the toilet (they were not the only things in there if you catch my drift). I could write a blog today about why you should get up before your children. Instead, here are a few last minute tips for taking better photos this Christmas. It’s too late for a full lesson, but these should help if you’re a novice.
1. Make sure you charge your batteries, empty your cards, and have your camera’s manual on hand.
2. Unless you plan to blow any of these snapshots up larger than 8×10, I suggest setting your ISO high, 800 or above. This will give you more wiggle room in dark lighting situations and cut down on the head on flash effect.
3. Use as little flash as possible. Bounce, dial it down (read your manual to see if you can do that), set your ISO higher. Ambient light is better!
4. Anticipate the expressions you want to capture and wait for it. Good candid expressions are not just luck (really nothing is, but that is another topic altogether).
5. Get on the floor. Getting eye level with your kids produces much more engaging photos.
6. Use your zoom. A good close up often tells a better story than a wide-angle with lots of details.
7. Don’t forget to be part of the memories. Put the camera down and join in the festivities!!
Merry Christmas!
Talking Wall 
Thanks for the advice, I’ll try to use it.
who would leave a scalpel on their bed-stand??? 😉