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There's a standing joke that, with your first born, it's inevitable you will take endless rolls of film (yes, I am dating myself with that comment). With the second born, there's less Kodak moments and by the time your third one grows up..there's like...4 pictures of their whole life.

Some days I curse the BOXES of pictures clogging up my closest and drawers, but many days I pause a moment and glance at one or two of them.

Each picture is such a golden treasure. A memory frozen in time and maybe even only a memory you yourself have. Like the picture of the beloved Buzz Lightyear costume that was wore to a rag and washed so often that you needed to freshen Buzz's emblems with colored markers.

Like the toy robot that walked, talked, and flashed....and seemed darn near as big as your two-year-old. It's the same robot that sent that same 2 year-old screaming in the opposite direction.

And the Lovies...oh the endless lovies! The bears, dolls, and stuffed critters that were the cat's meow one day and garage sale fodder the next. The pictures of your now 8 year-old snuggling with his favorite stuffed zebra. It's not the zebra that's all that special, it's the memory of the fact your son couldn't say “zebra” so it became “sweeba.” Along with ApplePuss (octopus) Wizzer (lizard). I wish I could bottle those sweet moment forever.

So make the act of dusting off that camera, 35MM, camcorder, or whatever your memory-making-capture-device might be, high on your Holiday Goal List. Put those devices to good use and record those memories forever this Christmas season.

Happy Holidays!