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14 Perfectly Imperfect Holiday Photos From Our Mighty Community

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The holidays are just around the corner, and whether your kids are sitting in Santa’s lap or you’re attending a party, odds are plenty of pictures will be snapped over next few weeks.

Many of our readers have told us how difficult it is to get that “perfect” or “classic” holiday photo of their special needs family. But aren’t the kind of imperfect ones really the best? We think so. From priceless faces to creative setups to unconventional backgrounds, here are some of the holiday snapshots our Mighty readers shared with us:

1.

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“In our autism home we like to keep a sense of humor in our Christmas cards. And seriously his facial expression in this picture (by accident and luck of course) couldn’t have been more perfect.” — Brittany Van Arman-Miller

2.

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via Jennifer Steele

3.

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via Allyssa Rose

4.

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“My son has had a hard time sitting still for photos, so a family friend staged this Christmas photo a few years ago so my son could still move around. This ended up being my favorite Christmas picture that my family has ever had!” — Marybeth Mitcham

5.

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“Usually we get a semi blurry picture of one of the kids standing by the tree while Santa hovers as close as he dares to get in the background while the other kiddo is hiding behind my husband or I crying. This time they were excited to get their picture taken and the only tears were my happy ones. My son still isn’t about to sit on someone’s lap but hey next to is just as good.” — Mika Clardy

6.

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via Dan Bethke

7.

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via Erin Nichole

8.

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via Nikki Pizza

9.

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“This was on our Christmas card along with a separate shot of each of our boys. After a year filled with diagnosis after diagnosis, it is the only picture that all four of us are in, the entire year. And I love it.” —Mommy’s Marble Madness

10.

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via Penny Tait

11.

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“We have participated in the Caring Santa at our local mall for 2 years now. Our Santa realized last year that my son would not tolerate sitting in his lap, or even in the chair next to him. So he improvised. He asked my son to play cars with him! They played and we were able to get a picture that i feel is totally Ian! We were never rushed and the staff were wonderfully understanding and helpful. This year our Santa was back and remembered Ian. He immediately asked Ian to play cars and trains. He sat down on the floor, on my sons level and played patiently with him. It made my heart happy…” –Jamie Heustess

12.

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via Lyndse Marie Ballew

13.

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“They didn’t want to leave their little brother out that had passed away in October 2014.” — Lisa Blackstone

14.

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via Julie B.

Do you have a perfectly imperfect holiday photo you’d like to share with us? Send it to us at community@themighty.com and we may feature it in an upcoming post on The Mighty.

Originally published: December 18, 2015
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