The Family Flag

I am not sure where Mom got the idea, but she came home from some event and proposed we create a family flag. You can see parts of the flag right behind me on that now famous picture. I remember we all took part in designing the flag and came with the following features.

1. The name Heiss would display prominently at the top of the flag in a cool Germanic script.
2. We would use the official Heiss crest on the flag to connect us to our German forefathers.
3. The center of the flag would host a white tree to symbolize the Tree of Life. 
4. Each family member would have their picture on the tree.
5. Each family member would have an individual crest used to symbolize them.

That Famous Picture

Late November or early December was a painful time for the Heiss children while we were still under our parents' roof. Why? Because that was when Dad insisted on the annual family photo.

I am not sure how things worked in other families, but none of us, except for Dad, looked forward to family photo night. 

Typically, we had this torturous event on a Sunday just after church while we were still dressed in our church clothes. Our parents were wise in making that decision. It was hard enough for us kids to “willingly” consent to family photo night. But if it meant we had to dress up in our Sunday clothes on a day other than Sunday, well, good luck.