Looking for Christmas card photo ideas? Well, creating your own photo holiday card is definitely the right idea!

Christmas cards and holiday cards made from your own photos are super special: they say not only that you're awesome and creative... but they also say that you really care about the recipient. Store bought cards are fine, and will always be well received. But let's face it, those overly cute, overly glittery cards probably don't say what you want them to say.

Making your own is the only way to go. But where do you begin?

Getting Creative with Your Family Christmas Card Photo Ideas

Ok so how do you come up with a Christmas card photo idea that people will remember? This card is going to symbolize who your family is to everybody who receives it... so while I can't say that it's a life or death decision, it IS meaningful... and it's something you'll want to keep and look at for years to come. A great Christmas card photo idea will really help to make it special!

Some tips for taking a holiday card photo that comes out really great are:

1. Make it Personal

Everybody can take a photo with their family seated around a fire place. But what makes your family unique? Is it your diverse looks? Is it your crazy interests? Are you a family of sillies, or of intellectuals? Do you like puns? Do you do a lot of activities together, or love to do outdoorsy things as a family? Pin down what it is that make you, well, YOU, and you'll have a great Christmas card photo idea already started.

2. Think of the Recipient

Another thing that often helps when taking photos for a holiday card is to think about to whom the card is going. You live in Florida and have friends in Western New York? Send them a holiday card featuring Santa in a hot tub! Have friends that are choco-holics? Make a card for them with a picture of a mound of chocolate chip cookies!

3. Give Everyone a Turn

Every member of your family is special. One really fun family Christmas card photo idea is to give everybody a turn to dictate what's on your holiday photo card. Is little Nicholas obsessed with toy trains? Take a great photo of him playing with his favorite toy in a Santa hat. Do you and your daughter love to bake, while Dad and your son love to golf together? Take a mother-daughter baking Christmas card photo one year, and a father-son golfing photo the next.

If somebody loves puns or puppies or Portuguese food... give each member of your family a chance to express themselves with their own special Christmas card photo idea.

4. Focus on the Family

Want a more traditional family photo Christmas card that can be sent out to work colleagues and the like? A more serious card could be as simple as an image of the family gathered in front of traditional holiday decorations.

The beauty of this type of card is that it goes into the scrapbook every year as a chronicle-- and a wonderful image of how your family looked that year.

5. Go Religious... Carefully

For most celebrants of Christmas, this holiday is about their religious beliefs. But when it comes to Christmas card photo ideas, religious images can be a little tricky. One option here might be taking a picture at a local play where neighborhood kids or those at the church re-create the story of Jesus' birth.

For non-Christian families, the options include a photo of a Menorah on the dining room table, prayer beads, or any other images you know to be meaningful.

6. Make it Casual

Who needs another picture of a family sitting stiffly in front of a snowy window? Some of the best Christmas card photo ideas shows your family at its most natural. Take a fun pic of everybody playing in to snow, or having a cookie dough fight, or making silly faces while singing a carol! Who needs dignity? Christmas is supposed to be fun!

7. Pick an Item or Theme

This is SUCH a fun Christmas card photo idea! For this one, pick a theme or item that everybody will use or wear in the photo. Like Groucho Marx glasses and mustache. Or a pair of animal ears. Or wearing all the same color shirt. Or wearing funny pyjamas. Have fun with it and get silly!

You can also check here for some more great family photo ideas that work any time of year!

Planning Your Family Christmas Card

Want to put together a really great photo Christmas card, and looking for some fun Christmas card photo ideas that will make your card stand out from the pack? First, you've got to answer some very important questions:

1. What's the tone?

What tone do you want tos trink with your Christmas card photo? Do you want a serious card, funny card, religious card, or one that features scenery? Answering this helps you pick potential photos.

2. What's the message?

What kind of message do you want on your card? In checking various websites like Shutterfly and Kodak Gallery you can literally make individual cards for about $1.00. That price doesn't include delivery, but is a great way to make a personalized Christmas card-- you get just the right wording for all your diverse friends and family.

If you compare this cost to buying cards individually at a store, this is actually a savings.

3. How many cards do you need?

While you can make custom photo Christmas cards using Hallmark's Greeting Card Maker at home with your own card stock, ordering your holiday cards with your own Christmas card photo ideas is much faster and simpler.

Custom Photo Christmas Card Printers

So, you've got some great Christmas card photo ideas, and some great designs in mind. Where's the best place for ordering a custom Christmas card with your family photo?

Most of the big photo sharing websites offer greeting card creation services as well. Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly and PhotoWorks all offer excellent custom holiday photo greeting cards. They've also got a lot of different backgrounds, sizes and styles. Having your Christmas cards designed and printed this way is not only a time saver, but can add a touch of professional quality to your overall project-- the final result is very nice looking.

While most of our reviews focus on photo books rather than photo cards, you can read about some of the different photo printers right here.

And remember... no matter which company you choose, have fun with designing a custom Christmas card, and get creative with your Christmas card photo ideas!

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