The Setting
"This in the upper level of our backyard by the guesthouse. It's a beautiful two-story English cottage full of wisteria so it looks likes we're out in the countryside. It was the late afternoon on a cloudy day with a soft sun so it was great lighting."

The Photographer
"Her name is Breeze Munson [www.breezemunson.com] and my wife actually found her. She did our Christmas photo the year before and I thought she was very imaginative and creative. This time, I thought she did even double the quality than the year before. She's an exceptionally good photographer."

The Challenge
"You always have your hands full when you're trying to shoot a kid and dogs. My son is like Job before he got the patience. Thankfully, this photographer was very quick, which I really appreciated. We have two lemon trees in the backyard and both my dogs both love to eat the lemons. The only way we could keep both dogs to sit with their faces forward was to have the photographer hold a lemon while she was taking the pictures."

The Pose
"I have done so many shots as John sitting with the Abbott children and usually I'm standing behind them. So I suggested that this time, I stand behind my own family and I thought it came out very nice. It looks very protective. The photographer said she loved this pose the best and I agreed. Hunter couldn't give a rip and Kym was out voted."

The Wardrobe
"I've done so many publicity photo shoots through the years where I had to change into several different outfits that all I wanted to do [for the Christmas card] is get it done wearing one set of clothes. That's it."

The End
"Our Golden Retriever Gatsby passed away a month after this picture was taken. He' s been in every picture for 10 years. We'll miss him."

Season's Greetings!
Fondly,
The Douglas Family