Christmas Themed Photo Ideas

December 14, 2022

Christmas Themed Photo Ideas

'Tis the season...to take some themed photos of your kids! If nothing else, this time of year provides the opportunity for cute and creative pictures. My mommy groups have been flooded with adorable and impressive shots of babies posed among lights, cookies, trees, and snow. There have been a few trends in particular that many have replicated and I was excited to try. This is our first Christmas with Sloane and although we managed to get a mall Santa visit in (for $50?! Is this normal??) she is very difficult to photograph these days, and I did not see myself getting these done in time. Therefore, my online mommy friends have stepped in to demonstrate some of the cutest poses and ideas that you can try yourself!

1. Starbucks Snowman Cookie

Perhaps the most popular trend comes with the added bonus of a cookie for mom to eat afterward. All you need is a plain backdrop (usually a blank wall or a fuzzy blanket on the ground) and one of Starbuck's snowman cookies! You can either bite or cut off the head, and then lineup your baby underneath so their body is super-imposed with the snowman's. If you are more tech savvy, you can take the picture of the cookie by itself and a picture of your baby by his/herself and photoshop them together, since I can't imagine Sloane laying there long enough to get a picture! But these mommies managed to do it, so it is possible:

2. Picking Up the Christmas Tree

Another adorable photo-op depicts your sweet babe bringing home a freshly cut pine tree on the roof of their car. Obviously, this picture requires a bit more props - a small tree (real or fake) and some kind of ride on car that you can attach the tree to the roof of. Bonus points for dressing up your child in winter gear or stringing some lights on the car or tree! Put your baby in the drivers seat and snap away for an adorable set up.

3. Decked Out In Lights

This next photo is simplicity at its finest - all you need is a string of Christmas lights (colored or white) and your baby in their cutest Christmas outfit. Turn off the other lights in the room so that only your baby and the bulbs themselves (and/or the tree behind them) are lit up and then drape the string of lights around them for a cute, easy picture. Here are some examples with different lighting options:

4. Hot Cocoa Bath

This picture idea is so stinking cute and absolutely way more work than I am willing to do lol. But props to these moms for putting in the time and effort - the outcome is perfection. Some of them had access to giant looking tea cups/mugs, but the simplest option is using a planter, cute bucket, or galvanized tub. Fill it with warm water and then add pure cocoa powder (or anything you have that would turn the water brown but won't irritate baby's skin), adding milk if you need to lighten it at all. You can use actual hot cocoa mix, but be warned it will get baby sticky. Giant marshmallows are also a must! You can add to the scene with some holiday décor in the background and a little Santa hat for your baby. The outcome will hopefully be something like this:

5. Looking At the Tree

This is another simple idea, although the lighting might be a bit tricky! Decorate and light up your tree (I know, I know not actually simple when you have kids) and pose your child in front of it, looking at the tree itself. Turn off all the other lights so their profile is silhouetted and you'll get a sweet photo that does not require your kids to be smiling or looking at the camera. *Bonus if you managed to get a similar profile photo when you were pregnant in front of the tree and can do a "then and now"!

*or you can keep some room lights on!

Misc. Other Ideas:

If none of those photo-ops spoke to you, or you're just looking for some more winter and Christmas themed pictures, here are some other photos sent in by the mommies!