40 Best Christmas Family Photo Ideas for Your 2023 Cards

Visit a Christmas Tree Farm

Christmas tree farms and lots typically open up mid-November, creating the ideal opportunity for you to snag an early family photo. Take advantage of the festive scenery and snag those pics!

Decorate the Tree

Haul out the DIY ornaments and twinkle lights from the attic and call up the grandparents! Time to capture some timeless memories flocking the tree.

Open a Gift Early

Strategically pick one gift from under the tree and let the little ones unwrap it to catch that joyful moment for the camera. It's one fewer gift for the big day, but it's worth the small sacrifice to get their reaction for the card.

Related: Best New Toys for 2023

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Get to Baking

Use your kitchen as a homey backdrop to a holiday baking day. It's fun for the kids and you'll wind up with some cute candid pics — plus, cookies.

Related: Best Christmas Cake Recipes

Play With Angles

Rather than have everyone line up for a staged photo, see if you can capture genuine reactions when your loved ones see each other.

Have a Dance Party

Break out the holiday outfits and turn up "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" from your holiday playlist. The whole gang will be all smiles while you teach them to boogie.

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Play With Props

One trip to HomeGoods and your car will be loaded with cute holiday props for photos.

Find the Family Pet

Relatives love to see your shining faces on cards – but they'd likely delight in seeing your dog or cat, too. (Or turtle, or parakeet...)

Perfect a Gingerbread House

Baking cookies too simple for you? Take on the gargantuan task of baking (or just decorating) a gingerbread house! It may not look perfect, but it'll make for some priceless photos.

Related: Best Gingerbread House Recipes

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Take Pictures at Thanksgiving

Ah, the easiest solution! If the family is getting together for Thanksgiving, take some candids throughout the day or coordinate outfits and line up for a group photo.

Hit the Floor

Sitting by the fireplace is overrated; lay on the floor and take a picture from above.

Go Window Shopping

Window displays can get quite extravagant around the holidays. Grab your coats and snap some smiles as the family looks at all the unique window dressings around town.

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Look In From the Outside

Make your Christmas card look like a still from a Netflix holiday movie by simply going outside your house and taking a picture of your family staring wistfully out the window.

Go For a Walk

How cute is a "walking away" shot on the back of a holiday card?

Scavenge For a Vintage Pic

The holidays are a wonderful time to embarrass your loved ones. Accomplish this by digging up an old picture and including it for all your peers to see.

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Play a Game

Have someone on picture duty while the family plays a board game or charades. You'll be sure to capture some grins when someone is acting out movie titles!

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Grab Some Sparklers

Turn a simple photo into something magical with all those sparklers left over from the 4th of July or your cousin's wedding.

Get Weird With It

Set your family apart by staging a very, very strange photo shoot. (Editor's note: I'm not sure what's going on here, but they sure put a lot of effort into it.)

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Call Up a Friend

If your kids loathe getting dressed up for family pics, stage an informal photo shoot when their friends come over to play. Your kid is more likely to smile for the camera if their best friend is giggling beside them—just get parental consent before you put a friend on the card!

Check Out Some Christmas Lights

Roam the neighborhood for the early light displays. There are always a few houses that get the holiday party started in November, right?

After over a decade as a digital editor, Maggie Panos is navigating freelance writing and full-time parenting. She covered entertainment for POPSUGAR from New York and San Francisco before setting down roots in tree-covered Portland and focusing on local journalism. A self-proclaimed "okay baker", Maggie is interested in all things lifestyle — especially if those things involve Bravolebrities. 

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