Smile and Pretend We’re Not Dysfunctional
By Melanie Grace
“Okay, everyone squeeze in!” “Mom, he’s touching me.” “Can we please just take ONE good photo?” “I’m not smiling. This is my face.” “Your eyes were closed. Again.”
If you’ve ever attempted an annual family photo, you know the chaos. The negotiations. The wardrobe malfunctions. The passive-aggressive comments about who stood where. The inevitability that someone will blink in every. Single. Shot.
“Annual Family Photos” is peak Broadway energy for a reason—because family photo time is DRAMA.
I wanted this song to feel theatrical and fun, like a musical number where everyone’s playing their part. Because that’s what family photos are, right? A performance. We’re all pretending to be this coordinated, put-together family for exactly 2.5 seconds while someone yells “Say cheese!”
But here’s the beautiful part: we keep doing it. Every year. Despite the arguments and the awkwardness and the fact that Aunt Linda will definitely complain about her angle. We keep gathering. We keep trying. We keep creating proof that we showed up for each other.
The song captures both the absurdity and the love of it all. The way we simultaneously want to strangle each other and also want to remember this moment forever. The way these imperfect, slightly chaotic photos become our most treasured possessions years later.
This is the energy peak of the album—big, celebratory, a little bit ridiculous, and full of heart. It’s the reminder that family is messy and wonderful and worth commemorating, even when someone’s definitely going to post the worst possible picture of you on Facebook.
So gather up, squeeze in, and for the love of all that’s holy, open your eyes this time.
We’re making memories here.
“Annual Family Photos” is track 6 on My Thanksgiving, dropping November 21st.
