Why is the Festive Family Photo Vanishing in the UAE…

I was at the gym the other day, catching up with a friend who, like me, grew up as an expat here in the UAE. We started reminiscing about the 90s; the days of physical photo albums, disposable cameras, and the annual ritual of the "Christmas Portrait."

We realized something: The tradition is disappearing here, even as it thrives in other parts of the world.

If you scroll through your social media feed this month, you’ll see it clearly. Our friends and family in Europe and the US are still leaning into the tradition with full force. Their feeds are flooded with coordinated outfits, professional studio backdrops, and carefully composed family portraits. In the West, the "Festive Shoot" remains a non-negotiable part of the season… a milestone marked every year without fail.

Yet, in the UAE, we seem to have let this tradition slip through our fingers. While the rest of the world is busy printing cards and framing new memories, the expat community here is moving toward a digital-only existence where the family portrait is becoming a lost art.

The "Good Enough" Digital Trap

The most obvious culprit is the rectangle in your pocket. We’ve traded quality for convenience, settling for a "good enough" selfie at brunch or a grainy shot in front of a mall tree. But "good enough" for an Instagram story isn't "good enough" for a family legacy. A professional lens captures the soul and the scale of a family in a way an iPhone never can.

The Spirit vs. The Sun

In the UAE, December is our peak outdoor season. When it’s 25°C and sunny, it doesn't always feel like the traditional Christmas we see in movies. Without the biting cold, the urgency to capture that Festive Magic often melts away under the Arabian sun.

On top of that, the mass exodus that happens every December means families are focused on travel logistics. We tell ourselves, "We’ll take a nice photo when we get back home," but once we arrive, the chaos of visiting relatives takes over, and the opportunity is lost.

Capturing the "Chapter" Before it Closes

There is a unique psychological quirk to expat life here; we often live in a state of Temporary-Permanence. We hesitate to put down roots in our photo albums because we view this as just a chapter.

But this chapter is your life right now. Ten years from now, you won’t just want to remember Christmas. You’ll want to remember Christmas in the UAE. You’ll want to see the light hitting the dunes or your children building sand-snowmen on the beach. Documenting your holidays here honors the unique journey your family took; a version of yourselves that only exists because of this desert adventure.

The Race Against the Clock

Beyond the logistics of UAE life, there is a more permanent clock ticking: the rapid growth of our children. The core truth is this: those "blink-and-you’ll-miss-it" stages are entirely temporary. As children grow into teenagers, their relationship with the camera changes. The uninhibited smiles of childhood give way to a natural desire for independence.

This is precisely why you'll never regret having a rich collection of professional photos from their younger years. Those yearly portraits are the images that will carry you through the years when photo sessions are met with sighs and reluctance. Think of these photos as a priceless gift to your future self, a way to hold onto their innocence even when they’re too cool for family pictures. (Keep an eye out for a deeper piece on The Fleeting Magic of Childhood.)

Why It Matters (And Why We Should Bring It Back)

We are living in a digital dark age. We have ten thousand photos on our cloud storage, but if our phones disappeared tomorrow, what would we have on our walls? What would our children hold in their hands thirty years from now?

A professional portrait is a pause button. It’s a way to document this specific, deeply significant chapter of your life. Whether your family is complete or blended, whether you’re wearing Santa hats or linen shirts on the beach, these images are the heritage you leave behind.

Let’s Change the Narrative!

Don't let this season pass by as just another folder of unorganized digital files. Let’s reclaim the tradition and capture the growth, the laughter, and the unique "winter" we have here.

Your family’s story deserves more than a ‘Good Enough’ shot. It deserves to be a masterpiece!