Here we go again! As I mentioned in the last blog, this year we headed to Descanso Gardens to try and get a picture for our annual holiday card. Every year I obsess over finding just the perfect photo: both girls smiling, nice background, everyone’s clothes where they belong. I’ve blogged about this many times and hope you enjoy another “Behind the Scenes” look at the Johnson Family Holiday Card.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you usually get a card from us and haven’t received yours yet, maybe read this post later (I will be sharing the winner at the end).

What you won’t see in the photos? The fact that I freaked out when I realized we hadn’t gotten any Christmas looking clothes this year, and these girls are constantly growing. So I frantically ordered from Target a casual dress, which didn’t fit, and a cute shirt and pants, which they did not prefer to the dresses above that I found in the back of their closets. Oops? Rough year.

Also, we were in a public place, so… MASKS! Our children are so trained that when I found a secluded place with no people around and suggested I hold their masks for a super fast photo, Ella’s eyes got HUGE. “But Mom…“, she started to say. I reassured her that I was a speedy photographer and that there was NO ONE around in this huge park – and that I would never do anything to put her at risk. She agreed.

Without further ado, here are the 2020 cute girl photos that could have made the card:

No shortage of OMG-HOW-CUTE photos this year, right?! Yes, I’m biased. My second favorite is the one just above with the rocks in the background. I also loved the look of veiled panic in Ella’s eyes near the cactus, where she literally was concerned she was going to get poked. I decided that one evoked feelings of stress, and while that may have perfectly fit this year, no one needed any more stress. It’s the Holidays!

We also got two cute solo girl pictures:

So Zen. But the winner was clearly this one, the FIRST PHOTO I took (the one before which Ella said, “But Mom…“):

And that wraps another year of the Johnson Holiday Card saga. Christmas Tree? Check. Christmas Shopping? Almost done. Plus, we have 3 virtual events with friends and family booked so far. If you’d like some Holiday Cheer, let me know! I’ve become a BELIEVER that virtual connections CAN be fun–and spending time with people online is better than no people at all. Not to mention the fact that I’ve hosted 75 roundtables this year with groups of senior design leaders for my job – 69 of which were virtual (and fabulous).

Anyway, hope your Holidays are going as well as possible. I’ll leave you with some flower photos from the gorgeous Descanso Gardens. They’re not as cute as the girls above, but every trip there we find something new. Nature is my constant reminder that we’re going to be OK. Stay safe out there!