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The holidays are a time to come together and spend quality time with our loved ones. Starting with Thanksgiving and spanning all the way through New Year’s Day, you can anticipate logging some great family memories. While the holidays are a great chance to come together, it can also be a very busy time. From shopping, to traveling, cooking, and organizing all the details in between, the twenty four hours in a day can go by quick! You may want to keep a printout of our Christmas checklist timeline nearby!
This can make gathering the family to take a holiday-card-worthy photo one of the biggest challenges of the season. Detailed family photo planning, which includes deciding what to wear and selecting a setting, is a lot to manage. Especially when brainstorming family Christmas photo shoot ideas. At Minted, we’ve put together some of our favorite family picture ideas all in one spot for you to review. Whether you are looking for fun photo ideas, need help posing, or would like some suggestions for props, we have you covered.Continue reading for our 26 ideas to make your Christmas family photos unforgettable this 2020.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Make the love your family shares the focal point of your Christmas photo with a simple backdrop and casual clothes. Grab the kids, put on your favorite outfit and have the perfect photo shoot in front of a simple grey or white wall. This is a great option for the family looking for an easy and beautiful family picture idea. Choosing a simple backdrop also opens up your options as far as a holiday card design. A chic minimalist photo will pair perfectly with typographic, painterly, or any holiday card design you like!
DUST OFF THE WAGON
Looking for the perfect holiday prop for kids? Pose with them in a wheelbarrow or wagon for a rustic look, fit for the season. No matter your backdrop, a wagon is a perfect prop for a Christmas photo featuring your young children, and they will stay comfortable with a place to sit. You can even play off the colors of the wheelbarrow to make coordinating everyone’s outfits a breeze.
THE CLASSIC BLACK & WHITE
Looking for a more classic vibe? You may want to consider a black and white theme as one of your family Christmas photo shoot ideas.. A black and white photo is the perfect choice for a timeless Christmas photo that can be cherished for years to come. Black and white photos also pair well with colored Christmas card templates of any style. So if you have your eye on a bold card design, maybe a black and white photo is the right idea!
FORGET THE POSE. BE ACTIVE
Does your family love to have fun together? Christmas family photos don’t need to be stiff and posed. Showcase your family’s personality in your holiday photo this year with some movement! Not only is this a great way to share the joy of the holiday season, but it's also a perfect solution for camera-shy family members. Not sure how to pose? Have a dance party! Friends and family will love your vibrant photo, and you won’t have to stress over how to pose everyone together.
WHY NOT THE FRONT PORCH
Sometimes the perfect location for your Christmas photo is right out your front door! Feature the warmth of your loving home on the front of your holiday card this year. Why waste a bunch of time this holiday season searching for the perfect setting? Just head to your front porch (and watch your favorite Christmas movie later as a family with the time you saved). This is also a perfect photo idea if you are moving during the holidays. Combine your moving announcement with your holiday card seamlessly with this front porch photo, and shop our holiday moving announcements for a chic “we’ve moved” holiday card.
INCLUDE THE PETS
Want to incorporate your fur-babies into the holiday card? An easy way to pose everyone (plus the dogs) is to sit on the front steps, or the porch of your home. This way everyone is perfectly framed by the features of your house and has a comfortable seat for the family photo shoot. Choosing this option also makes it easy if you are photographing younger children that might need snacks or breaks during the shoot. You can easily run inside and grab whatever it is they need.
Merry Move by Julie Murray
PLAN A NATURE WALK
Does your family love nature? Bring the outdoors into your holiday card! This woodland setting is perfect for a fall family photo shoot. The natural greens and browns of the grass and trees will create a backdrop that makes your family pop, and the light shining through the leaves will give you a luminous glow. Take a stroll in the woods and capture some precious family moments for this year’s Christmas card. Pair with complementing, but not matching outfits for a more relaxed vibe.
FEATURE A FAMOUS LANDMARK
Have a great historical landmark in your area or a favorite place you frequent as a family? Highlight the uniqueness of where you live by making that special spot the background of your holiday card photo. Holiday cards are all about spreading joy and updating loved ones on news with your family, make it that much more personal by including a well-known spot in your area.
Heart Center by Lauren Chism
TAKE IN A SUNSET
Pose at sunset for the perfect light to frame your family. Also known as “golden hour,” photography taken at dusk is known for its warm golden glow. If you are taking your own Christmas family photos this year, taking your photos during golden hour will help your holiday card look like it was done by a pro! Friends and family will be able to feel the warmth radiating from your gorgeous holiday photo.
Modern Twenty by Eric Clegg
THE CHRISTMAS TREE HUNT
We couldn’t assemble a list of family Christmas photo shoot ideas without highlighting a trip to the Christmis tree farm. Give your friends and family a peek into the exciting tradition of finding the perfect Christmas tree. Be sure to snap a bunch of Christmas family photos on your tree hunt and then review them when you get home. You might find one amazing photo or use a couple in a collage to show the entire experience of finding, cutting, loading, and decorating your Christmas tree.
SNOWBALL FIGHT!
A snowball fight is a perfect way to spread holiday cheer during the “most wonderful time of the year.” Capture the fun of the holidays by featuring a good old fashioned snow fight on the front of your holiday card. Your kids will love the fun, and you will love the photos for years to come. And, if you love a good pun, this is the perfect opportunity to pair your snowfight photo with a “snow much fun” Christmas card template.
BEACH IT UP
No white Christmas? No problem! If you live in a warmer climate, bring sunny weather to your holiday card. Take the family to the beach and kick off your shoes for the perfect sandy Christmas photo shoot. The beach is also a naturally neutral background, making outfit selection for the family that much easier.
Simple Overlay by Genna Cowsert
GO AERIAL
Elevate your beach shoot (literally) by jumping in with some signature moves. This is a great photo idea for families with growing children who have larger than life personalities. Let everyone pick a signature move and capture all the action for the perfect family Christmas photo. Friends and family will love seeing their growing personalities, and you will enjoy the memories of such a fun holiday shoot. A sandy family holiday picture also pairs great with a fun “sand is the new snow” holiday card design.
Sand and Snow by Ali Means
HITCH A RIDE
What better Christmas photo location than the bed of a classic pickup truck, filled with all the holiday must haves. Simply stock up on all your favorite Holiday decorations and take the perfect holiday photo. Posing will also be a breeze since you can sit on the truck bed. One of your local Christmas tree farms or holiday fairs may already have a photo station set up with all the holiday essentials, making getting this look that much easier.
INCLUDE THE WREATH
Feature a holiday wreath for the perfect seasonal detail. Adding some festive greenery to the background of your holiday photo is the perfect way to incorporate some seasonal elegance, while still keeping the focus on your family. This is a chic family Christmas photo shoot idea for the family that loves minimalism, but also wants to show some holiday cheer. Pair with a stylish typographic holiday card design for the ultimate elegance.
SAY CHEESE
Make baby laugh for a Christmas photo that captures everyone’s hearts. There’s no better way to showcase the sweetness of a growing family than featuring your smiling baby on the family Christmas card. Having a genuine moment with your child while shooting is the perfect way to capture an effortless and natural feeling holiday photo. Try to plan your photo shoot with your child during a time when they will be fed and well-rested. This way you are likely to capture more smiling baby photos and less crying baby meltdowns.
Jingle by Leah Bisch
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Sometimes the perfect photo-op is right in your own home. Gather the family for a cozy photo shoot in the comfort of your own bed. This is a great option if you are announcing a new addition to your family this holiday season. Combine your holiday card with your birth announcement by showcasing your new little bundle in the safety of your home. We can help you find the perfect holiday birth announcement for your growing family.
SHOW OFF YOUR ROUTINE
Having trouble deciding on a pose for the whole family? Take your holiday photo in motion! Is there an activity your family does routinely on the weekends (a certain hike, a stroll through a farmers market, a town park your child loves). Walking through a local market can be the perfect holiday photo setting for a family on the go. Showcase one of your favorite city spots to give friends and family a peek into your daily routine.
ZOOM OUT
One of our favorite artistic family Christmas photo shoot ideas is to take the photo from a distance to incorporate some beautiful scenery alongside your family. Whether this is a favorite spot the family visits often or a location you discovered while on a family vacation, loved ones will enjoy the view.
Landscape by Erin L. Wilson
BLACK ON WHITE
Dressing in dark clothes with a light, snowy backdrop is the perfect way to make sure the focus is on your loving family. If you can keep an eye on the weather forecast, you can see when it is supposed to snow and then stage some scenic wintery Christmas family photos as it is snowing all around you. Just don’t stay out in the snow too long!
Modern Standard by Kristie Kern
HEAD TO THE NURSERY
Take the family to a plant nursery for a holiday card featuring lush greenery, while still being indoors. This is the perfect photo location for the family wanting to incorporate greenery in their holiday photo but doesn’t want to be out in the cold. Nurseries also tend to have a wide variety of plants, so pick your favorite blooms and get shooting!
Vintage Elegance by Kristie Kern
PLAN A PICNIC
Take the family for a picnic to capture those seasonal smiles. All you need is a blanket and the perfect grassy field to capture some holiday photo magic. This is also great for the family wanting an easy backyard holiday photo shoot idea, just grab a blanket and head outside.
Inlay by Lauren Chism
USE YOUR SHOULDERS
Capture a warm family moment by showcasing some parental love! This is the perfect pose for a family of four. Simply hold one child on each parents’ shoulders for a holiday photo full of love and light. And, you can execute this family photo anywhere, so feel free to get creative with location!
Heaven's Song by Eric Clegg
SPOTLIGHTS ON THE KIDS
Loving multi-photo Christmas card designs? Get some closeups of your growing little ones. They grow up so fast, so it might be nice to take some individual shots of your children this Christmas. The grandparents will definitely love the additional close-ups!
Tres by Kaydi Bishop
GO FULL FRAME
Make your family the center of attention on your holiday card by taking up the whole frame. Focus in on the bond your family shares by being the only subject of your Christmas photo shoot. This is the perfect family picture idea to capture a classic photo of your growing family. Simply find a comfortable spot and zoom in!
GET MESSY
Have an indoor confetti party to capture fun holiday smiles. This family picture idea is perfect is you plan on featuring the family’s new matching pajamas on the Christmas card. If you are looking for other possible family Christmas wardrobe ideas, we got you covered there too! For this shoot, all you need is some eco-friendly glitter, your matching outfits, and a place to sit for this festive photo shoot to come to life. Do keep in mind that you only really have one shot at getting this picture right, before confetti gets everywhere. Be sure that your photographer snaps as many pictures as they can while the confetti is falling so you can find your favorite one.
