Lets try something here...

I am sick of it.

(Whiney bitch alert)

I do the MS for my family (under the assumption none read this anyway) and i bust my ass on them. Every time i release one its better than the last. I give them out on Christmas as gifts, because afterall it is made with them in mind on various clips. I think about who would like this clip, who might catch what I did there. I sort through all the endless hours of footage from Christmas, birthdays, Halloween, goofy stuff around the house or family visits- It's a LOT of stuff- and put the cream of the crop on the timeline, sort through several songs to find one that best suits the video, then resize it to fit the music. Then to the next clip... Until all are done, i have open and credits to do (pain) I feel i have to be more creative here, and show off my VFX skills here. And i LOVE IT. I become amazed with it every time i do it. Ep 4's open was a StarWars scroll, and ship crashes into words, and Imperial March Hip-Hop Cover. Ep 5's open represented Dr Who, with a metal cover of the theme, and it rocked the hell out of the DVD's open. Sent me to chills. 4's Credits was kind of an inspiration from Tokyo Drift's end credits, but with Imagine Dragons' "Monster"- again, it was awesome. 5's credits was a tour of the solar system with "Rocket Ship" over it. It makes me so proud to see those. With 5, i added two slide shows, which i hate to do, but lack of footage forced my hand... They were real tear-jerkers too. Ep 4 & 5 were friggn great.
Spent so much time rendering, planning, sifting, editing, effects- It was a loooong process and well worth it to me.
I ask for opinions, and i get a few, which is awesome. I'm looking for specific people's responses though. I have been as passive as i can about it and i said "screw it".
Itll be for my wife and I now. Our memories for when were all old and falling apart. We can see our babies grow all over again.

Most people who got it, didn't want it in the first place. I forced it on them. I went to school for this shit damnit. I want to show my family my skills with their nephews/cousins/grandsons that they supposedly "love".
If they loved these little squirts as much as i do to go through different forms of hell for them, and keep their family in the loop- they would have been so excited to watch it, they wouldn't shut up about it.
Not everyone gets excited about it, ok- you have your own lives and thats all good. It's just an hour or so. That's it. If you see them both back to back. Split 'em, idk. I made it for you. At least you could look at it before you throw it aside like it doesn't mean anything...

I get the impression some may think it's just a cheaper alternative than buying gifts. Like giving a picture in a frame. Its generic, impersonal and inexpensive. Im cool with that. I do 30 pictures a second. I give 108,000+ Pictures in consecutive order, but looked at as differently. Why? Because you have to put it in a player? It'll take too much time?
Look, it is much more cost effective than buying a gift for everyone, yes. I am Saving a sh*t load of money on doing this. But how much time did i spend? 160 Hours or so? Last time i checked, it wasn't the amount of money spent that proves how much you care, but the thought behind it.
How long did it take to decide what to buy for someone? To choose the card? Maybe an hour together? Is that all your family is worth? An hour of thought once a year?
It is materialistic thinking like that which pisses me off quicker than anything about giving gifts.

My family, my kids, are worth more than an hour's thought once a year.
Try spending 160 hours or so designing the perfect gift for all of those you care for.
The theme, the layout, musical score, visual effects, flow, DVD design, and cover design...
Do it. Try to do it one time. See how much work it is.

Funny thing it, I LOVE to do it. I enjoy it, and i find it to be so much fun!
I just wanted to share the fun with my loved ones. If they dont want to take an hour out of one day to watch it, and have a laugh or two, then thats their problem.

I have decided to do it for my boys and wife. ( and a few people i KNOW WANT to see them)
And who ever asks. (family-wise) On top of that, i'll have one print day. If i dont have your order by that day, you missed out. Sorry, but you had your chance.
Who knows... when i'm "rich and famous" they may want me to autograph them... and the 6 & 7 will be a Limited Edition... And they'll wish they had one.

Let's see who says something to me about this.
If you don't want it, say something. Throw it back at me.
Then at least I'll know who my haters are.