Memories of a family Christmas

As the most magical time of the year approaches, I indulge in my sweet memories of a family Christmas by recalling the best moments.

I have already told you about how for me Christmas represents a magical and special. Unique time that can catapult me back to when I was a child and still make me feel vividly the scents and atmosphere of my home.

Christmas memories on canvas

I have always loved to keep photographs in big scrapbooks.

At Christmas time I love to review them and choose which one to turn into a Flowerpup style family portrait to give to relatives.

As I flip through the album...my memories flash back to when I was a child...

My mother preparing all the decorations in the corner of the house and me looking forward to climbing the ladder to tip a tree that looked huge to me.

The lunch with close relatives...The laughter of joy and cheerfulness, which did not end even in front of the burnt roast, because it had been forgotten in the oven.

The smell of gingerbread cookies, pandoro filled with powdered sugar and nougat, which I used to nibble on the sly-or so I thought-because I didn't want to listen to my mother's warning that "sugar will carve your teeth!". And then my father, who put up with me every year, smiling at my insistence of an early gift.

What to do on Christmas: Between family and traditions

I am still very attached to the concept of family as a space of sharing and support, of tender refuge where I can seek reassurance, of home as a place where I can feel protected and welcomed always.

Today, time is running fast and the occasions when we all get together at the dinner table, without smartphones or thoughts, are very rare.

Except for Christmas.

I am happy because fortunately it is still an indispensable tradition, a glue that holds together even geographically distant families. An occasion that, regardless of the abundance or the feast, always manages to provide positive and unforgettable emotions.

Christmas for me is family, it is being together.

It is about remembering and imprinting memories in photographs, in portraits.

Christmas for me is returning to the simple and pure values of shared love.

..What is Christmas for you?

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What to give for Christmas?

As I mentioned before, I love traditions, I love giving handmade sweaters, wool blankets, anything that is authentic and created from the heart.

That's why I dabble every year in finding one of the many photos taken with my family during the Christmas season.

When I find the one that reflects the right memories, perfect moments, and emotions for me... I delight in making the Flowerpup-style family portrait to give as a Christmas gift.

Why do I do it?

I do it to revive memories that have become stuck in an image inside a scrapbook that, if no longer opened, is likely to be forgotten.

Or to remember only when one is nostalgic. But memories serve not only to evoke nostalgia, but to recall positive emotions. Past memories of deep beauty.

And by drawing them I give them new life, new emotions. And I do my best to put all of myself and all of my love right there.

Natural shots that capture the simplicity and beauty of being together...

Of experiencing the true spirit of Christmas and its essence...

Of sharing emotions together...

All this comes alive again, in a family portrait to give to loved ones at the most magical time of the year.

If you'd like to give your loved ones a memory of emotions spent together... Choose the photo that best represents that moment. I will capture the essence of Christmas in your family portrait, thus remembering the emotions of a magical Christmas together.

I'll be waiting for you and give you a hug,

Helen