When I was a kid I got behind the camera for each Christmas. I would use my family’s video camera and record everyone opening their gifts. Presumably we have many hours of Christmases past on videotape. Where they ended up I’m not sure. Well, they are in my parent’s basement but I don’t think we labeled them that well and I have no idea how many years are on each tape or if there is anything that I really got on the tapes. Then I moved on to a still camera and I found that I was able to capture moments better than with the video camera. Finding a balance between the two will get you, in my opinion, the best captured memories during the holidays.

Christmas is coming up quickly and it can be so easy to get caught up in all the craziness, hype and stress. Now that I am a parent and have been for over five years I’ve been re-energized by the holiday season. I love seeing Christmas through the eyes of my kids. Here are some tips for preserving those great holiday memories with your kids. I share a few tips in this video and after the jump.

Don’t forget to capture the decorations – If you make slideshows or scrapbooks the decorations can make for great backgrounds and accents to the other photos. Plus you never know what your kids beloved decorations will turn out to be and if they get lost over the years at least you have them preserved in photos or video.

Capture the Joy – Sure, watching the kids tear open their gifts is fun but sometimes the action is too fast so set up a tripod out of the way with a camera running. This way everyone can behave naturally and then you can review moments later and pick out great photos and clips.

Get in the photos – Learn to use your camera’s timer. Take turns with your spouse. Give the kids the camera.

Do some interviews – Eva loves helping me with reviews and she asks me if I’m going to record a video every time I take out my phone. She wants me to record her doing things so why not prepare something like asking about what they liked most about the day. If you are reading this before Christmas see if you can record your child’s Christmas list.

Focus not only on the day itself – There is too much pressure to get everything captured on Christmas but that is asking too much. Capture moments leading up to the holiday like making Christmas Cookies, going out to see the lights, breakfast with Santa, photos at the mall. There are so many things that lead up to Christmas morning that may make the biggest memories for your family.

Remember to have fun – The best memories are not staged they are candid, so have fun and let things happen.

Disclosure: I am a YesVideo Ambassador. I’ve visited YesVideo and seen what they do. I’ve sent my own personal memories to YesVideo and have been very impressed with what they do. Opinions about YesVideo are 100% my own.