Zeitgeist: Stop reading this and go take a photo of mum

Mothers are overwhelmingly responsible for the magic of Christmas. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

I never ask you anything but it’s Christmas Eve and I’ve got a request.

If you have a mum in your life, your own mum, the mother of your children or a single mum you know, do me a favour and take a photo of her with her children.

As I wrote about a few days ago, mothers are overwhelmingly responsible for the magic of Christmas.

This is not to say that there aren’t dads out there working really hard to make this a wonderful time for kids (don’t waste time emailing me to point that out).

It is a known fact that by whatever statistics you choose to go by, the bulk of the mental and emotional load of this season falls on women.

Tomorrow, in homes across New Zealand, people will have their days made, by the gifts they’ll be given, the food they’ll be fed, by the happy memories created, in most cases, thanks to mum.

Mothers all over Aotearoa will get to December 25 exhausted. Happy? Sure. But definitely exhausted.

And some will not receive the appreciation they deserve for all the hard work they’ve done all year to keep the family happy and healthy, all the worries, all the admin, all the work.

Christmas Day will roll around and mum is often the one behind the camera, making sure the kids look great in their matching Christmas outfits, standing in front of the tree, trying to get the kids to stop fighting and look happy for one goddamn second so she can take a photo of them looking happy.

Her phone gallery will be filled with thousands of photos of the kids, by themselves or with other family members. She’ll snap the occasional selfie with the children but, for the most part, mum keeps herself out of the picture. That is something that you, dear reader, can change, and that’s what I’m calling on you to do this Christmas.

This Christmas, take a photo of mum.

Take a photo of her with the kids, take a photo of her by herself. Tell her she looks beautiful, because she does.

Catch her reading the kids a bedtime story and snap the picture. Catch her smiling, a drink in her hand, and take her picture. Catch her smile as the kids unwrap their gifts and take her picture. Catch her sitting around the busy table, letting everyone know what’s in each tray, and take her picture.

Watch her throw the ball for her kid in the backyard, and snap a picture. Take a photo of her posing and take a candid shot when she’s not looking. Get her in the photos with the children because, truly, Christmas would not be the same if it hadn’t been for all her hard work to make it happen. We say Christmas is all about the kids because, well, it is. But it truly wouldn’t happen without mum. She’s the main character - treat her as such.

Once you’ve got the picture, get a nice frame and gift it to her. She might make some comment about how bad her hair looks but you’ll still have given her the most priceless and often overlooked gift of all: the gift of a happy memory, with her in it.