Relephant reads:

Laughter Guaranteed: Childhood Photos Recreated.

Why You Should Embrace Awkwardness.

Let’s Have an Awkward Dance Party.

Of all the pre-holiday rituals, sending and receiving holiday cards is one of my favorites.

I enjoy all varieties of shiny family photo postcards, but the most awkward family photos occupy a special place in my heart.

If a picture says a thousand words, a holiday postcard says a million.

Arranging holiday shots is an art form in and of itself. There are staging options, sartorial choices and budget considerations. Some people elect to go the traditional route: matching holiday sweaters and the portrait studio at the mall. (I’ve always wondered how much it costs to bribe teenagers to wear ugly Christmas sweaters? Is there a sliding scale as far as extortion is concerned?)

Still, others opt for a more creative direction, documenting holiday disasters and hilarity. Did the tree fall on the Christmas table? Did the cat dig into the turkey when nobody was looking? Did everybody receive pink bunny-footed jammies, just like that Red Rider BB-gun boy? Is everybody crying?

A few years back, everybody in my family received a black, insulated skullcap on Christmas morning. They were lightweight hats, meant for running or working outside on cold days. For some indeterminate reason, several of us also happened to be wearing black and white striped shirts on Christmas morning. We put on the caps and were photographed. The result was a dead ringer for Tony Soprano and company. In jail.

Awkward family photos, when unposed and unpretentious, represent the true essence of the holidays. I love the website Awkward Family Photos and wanted to share a few gems  from their holiday section. We’re probably all iced and snowed inside today—so check out these pics and enjoy!  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

To see more of this Christmas magic, check out the website.

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Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: Nationaal Archief via Flickr