36 ideas for clever Christmas family photos this 2020

If planning and orchestrating a family holiday photo shoot is just not in the cards this year, embrace all the photos you already have on your phone! Even the simplest photos can be spruced up by making them black and white or using a program to apply an artistic filter. Zooming in on your subject’s faces and cropping out anything in the background is another simple trick. There are many ways to start with a simple phone photo and transform it into a beautiful option for the front of your holiday card.

Try looking inside your home with a new perspective. With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting our options for fun backdrops, it’s time to get creative with what you have available to you. Have a favorite chair, a cozy couch throw, or a large plant (even better, Christmas flowers)? Put those three items together into a scene and you have a great setup for a family photo. Looking for another family Christmas card pose right in your own home? Standing in front of your favorite large scale art piece can be a stylish option. Or, you could try posing in front of old family photos. It may be fun for the recipients of your holiday card to peek in the background and see photos of the kids when they were babies or that 10-year-old wedding photo.

Capture a holiday card pose of your children in one of their favorite spots: the playground. Whether that’s in a neighborhood park or on a collection of logs in the woods, capturing your children playing and exploring will be sure to translate to smiles that look perfect for the family Christmas card. Get creative with the family poses. Swinging on swings, arranged along a slide, and playing in a sandbox are just a few Christmas poses to consider for your kids’ Christmas pictures.

Making cookies over the holidays is a popular holiday tradition in many households. What if you photographed that event for your annual year-end greeting card? This casual approach to getting a perfect Christmas family photo will showcase the natural fun your family shares together during the holiday season. Don’t worry if the kids or counter get dirty, it’s all part of the authentic photo look! We even have some adorable holiday-themed kids aprons that will pair perfectly with your photoshoot.

For families that adore biking, boating, or any kind of get-up-and-go activity, consider showcasing these passions with a unique family Christmas photo idea. Whether you’ve just picked up a new hobby recently or have been going strong for years, a photo displaying how your family gets from point A to point B can be fun to engage with. Think about how you can pay tribute to a shared activity that means a lot to you all in this family-themed holiday card idea.

The “selfie” image is here to stay. Looking for an easy, casual, and fun family Christmas photo idea? Look no further than your own phone. Taking a selfie can be as simple as using your arm, or if you truly want a bit more height, purchase an inexpensive selfie stick. Elongating the distance between the camera and your family subjects will also allow you to capture more of a background. A more casual selfie pose may also work well if you want to use a non-photo holiday card and place your family photos on the inside or back of the card.

Another favorite family tradition is picking out the Christmas tree. Capture a behind-the-scenes look at where your family accomplishes this task. Another Christmas photo idea can center around the act of decorating the tree once it is home. Everyone has their favorite ornaments and someone always receives the honor to top the tree with a star or special topper. Photograph this family event and share it with your close friends and family in 2020.

Your family’s attire can make your holiday card feel special and unique. So what should your family wear for the Christmas photoshoot? There are so many different ways you can style your family’s clothing to make your holiday card pop or to share that holiday spirit in mail form. Start with something simple like picking a favorite color that your whole family will look beautiful in. Holiday favorites tend to be in the blue, green, or burgundy family. Another option for your family's outfit is to highlight a coordinating pattern. Plaids, checks, and winter florals give off that holiday feeling. One last outfit idea for your Christmas card is the quintessential matching family pajamas. This outfit look shows how cozy and comfortable your family is this holiday season. Whether you are in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate together, in front of a roaring fireplace making smores, or cuddled up on a comfortable couch reading a book together, you really can’t go wrong with matching family pajamas.

Especially in 2020, artists have taken to painting their beautiful works of art in all sorts of ways. In large urban cities and small rural neighborhoods, artists are making beautiful art on exterior walls. These are sometimes called wall murals or wall graffiti and come in many different artistic designs and colors. You may already know of one nearby, or you may have to search the internet to find a new spot. Either way, discovering an amazing outdoor wall mural, taking your family photos in front, and paring it with a cool Christmas card design, will make for a stunning family Christmas photoshoot idea.

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 pictures taken 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 a typographic, modern, or really any holiday card design you like!

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.

Looking for a more classic vibe? You may want to consider a black and white theme as one of your family Christmas photoshoot 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! We even have some black and white holiday card designs you can pair the photo with.

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.

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. It can be a creative juxtaposition to showcase a simple picture on the front porch inside an elegantly framed gold foil card design.

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 photoshoot. 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.

Does your family love nature? Bring the outdoors into your holiday card! This woodland setting is perfect for a fall family photoshoot. 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.

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.

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 the 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. Pair the glowing colors of a sunset with one of our beautiful Christmas cards.

You won’t need to shout “smile” for this family Christmas photo idea. Take your children to a nearby snow-covered hill and let them play with their favorite winter toy, the sled! Capture their natural joy as they speed down the hill and trek back up. For the brave parents, consider a group shot with the whole family in the sled or on a toboggan.

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 snow fight photo with an “Up to Snow Good” Christmas card design.

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 idea. The beach is also a naturally neutral background, making outfit selection for the family that much easier.

Encourage everyone in the family to jump in unison for the photographer. 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. Or, swing your child toward the camera and capture their glowing smile. Friends and family will love seeing their different personalities, and you will enjoy the memories of such a fun holiday shoot.

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 socially distanced photo station set up with all the holiday essentials, which will make getting this look that much easier.

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.

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 photoshoot 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.

Sometimes the perfect photo-op is right in your bedroom. Gather the family for a cozy photoshoot 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.

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, an outdoor restaurant your child loves)? Walking through a local outdoor 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.

One of our favorite artistic family Christmas photoshoot 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.

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!

Take the family to a plant nursery for a holiday card featuring lush greenery. This is the perfect photo location for the family wanting to incorporate some beautiful flowers, ivy, or ferns into the backdrop. Nurseries and gardens tend to have a wide variety of plants, so let your children run to their favorite spots and get shooting!

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.

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!

Loving multi-photo Christmas card designs? Get some cute 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!

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!

To achieve this funny family Christmas picture idea, stage a traditional look and then have one family member break the mold. They could be sticking a tongue out, taking a present from under the tree, or doing a cannonball onto the couch where the family is gracefully sitting. This idea also works great if you have a mischievous pet. While the family looks into the camera, your dog or cat could be eating Santa’s cookies.

Head to a rooftop with a view for a creative photoshoot opportunity this year. Think if you know of any public rooftop parking lots or elevated platforms that could create a dramatic backdrop for your family photo in 2020.