Christmas card photo ideas

A good Christmas card photo has clear faces, a simple background and room for the greeting. Here are 18 family Christmas photo ideas for the card, nine classic and nine funny or simple, plus how to shoot one on an iPhone that still looks sharp in print.

Classic card photos

1. By the fireplace Sit together on the hearth or on the floor in front of it, stockings above. If the fire is lit, keep small kids well back from it.
2. Up the staircase Wrap the banister in garland and put one person on each step, youngest at the bottom. Everyone leans toward the rail.
3. Framed by the front door Stand in the open doorway under the wreath, the warm hall light behind you. Shoot from the path, a few steps back.
4. In the snowy woods Snow, dark trees and everyone in a bright scarf or hat so you stand out. Bring a lantern for the kids to hold.
5. The new house First Christmas in a new home? Stand on the lawn with the whole house lit up behind you.
6. The forehead kiss Parents kiss a kid on each side of the forehead at the same time. The kid’s face does the rest.
7. Under the mistletoe For a couple’s card: a kiss in a doorway with the mistletoe in the top of the frame.
8. Baby’s first Christmas Lay the baby on a soft blanket on the floor near the tree, an adult right beside them and no ornaments or cords within reach. Shoot from above.
9. A New Year sparkler card For a holiday card that isn’t only about Christmas, light sparklers outside after dark and shoot in burst. Adults hold the sparklers for little kids.

Funny and simple cards

1. The outtake as the card Everyone calm and smiling except one toddler in full meltdown. Shoot the whole session and you’ll have it.
2. Tangled in the lights One parent wrapped head to toe in a string of unplugged lights, everyone else pointing.
3. Kids in a gift box Wrap a big cardboard box, open the top and have the kids pop out of it.
4. The dog as the star The dog in front in a scarf, sharp; the family behind it, a little blurred in Portrait mode.
5. The reindeer pet Antlers on the dog or the cat, family laughing behind. Only for a pet that tolerates them for a minute.
6. Mugs only Everyone’s hands around a different mug, shot from above on a wooden table. No faces needed.
7. Christmas socks by the fire Everyone’s feet in a row in their holiday socks, toes toward the fireplace.
8. Black-and-white laugh One real laugh, shot in color and turned black and white. It looks good next to any card design.
9. The year in four pictures For a multi-photo card, pick one big family shot and three small moments from the year: a trip, a first day, a birthday.

Make your card photo move

A printed card stays still, but you can send the moving version in Messages as a Live Photo. Natural in Make it Live fits the fireplace and doorway shots: people blink, breathe and smile a little, and hair and clothes move slightly. It’s made with AI on Tada’s servers (OpenAI and xAI), and Tada asks before your first one (privacy).

For the funny card, add stickers in Add effects: the free Hats & headbands pack includes a santa hat and a reindeer headband, and with Tada Pro the Holidays and Sweet & cozy packs add a snow globe, a snowman and snowflakes. Tada has no text tool, so add your greeting in the card maker. Tada Pro also saves without the tada mark. More seasonal shots are in our Christmas photo ideas.

iPhone tips for a card that prints well

• Shoot each pose both vertical and horizontal, and leave space around everyone. Card templates crop the edges and need room for text.
• Put the phone on a tripod or a stack of books at eye level, tap the Camera Controls button, then Timer and 10, so the person taking it is in it.
• Leave Live Photo on. When one person blinks, use Edit, the Live Photo button and Make Key Photo to choose a frame where everyone’s eyes are open.
• Shoot in daylight by a big window or outside in open shade. Tree lights look lovely but make faces too dark to print well.

Questions

Sources: Apple Support: Take and edit Live Photos · Apple Support: Use iPhone camera tools

More you can do

• Newborn photo ideas
• Wedding photo ideas
• Animate a photo
• Add stickers that move
• All guides