5 Couple’s Christmas Card Photo Ideas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and, as always, it’s got us feeling a little more romantic than usual. The time for drawing the curtains and 5pm, snuggling up in front of the fire, donning your matching PJs and planning long, huddled walks through the Christmas tree farms is finally here again, and that means one thing…

Getting a little cute – and a little cheesy, perhaps – with this year’s Christmas card!

It’s a tradition that goes way back through the questionable poses of the 2000s, the jazzy sweaters of the 90s, the big perms and questionable poses of the 80s…everything leads to this moment: staring at the closet, looking for your most coordinated and festive outfits, dreaming up angles and frames for the ultimate Merry Christmas to your loved ones. 

But even the best festive playlist, hot chocolate, and Hallmark movie marathon can sometimes leave us feeling a little lost for ideas. Here are some of our favourite tips and ideas for getting the best for your holiday correspondence. 

• Cultivate a New Tradition

First things first – is your creative rut a result of the fact that you feel some sort of compulsion not to repeat whatever it was you did last year? Be honest with us now…

While there’s certainly plenty to be said for creativity and that inexplicable ‘wow factor’ – the look of surprise on people’s faces when they open your envelope for another exciting instalment in the Christmas card series – there’s also something to be said for sticking with the old ‘if it ain’t broke’ philosophy. 

Why? Because repetition is tradition, and Christmas is the ultimate time for tradition. 

Think of it this way – if you stick with that classic shot of the pair of you in front of the Christmas tree or sitting on the staircase in your matching PJs, you’ll develop a great little collection over the years that document your changes as and when they happen. From the moustache of ’23 to any new additions to the family that join you along the way, sticking with your usual will give you the perfect material for a ‘Christmas over the years’ photo book someday.

• Lean into the Cliché 

While tradition abounds at Christmastime, so too does cliché. We’ve gone around the sun collectively enough times that all the best parts of Christmas are, well…more than a little formulaic, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Unless you’re all about that coordinated, millennial, #forthegram aesthetic, why not embrace the very gaudiest Christmas look you can achieve? 

Don the bright Christmas jumpers, deck yourselves with tinsel, replace the earrings and cufflinks with baubles, unfurl the party blowers and novelty glasses, and make your Christmas card a lesson in how to embrace the biggest clichés of all.

• Include the Family Pets

What’s better than a picture of two people, happy and in love and full of Christmas cheer? Two people and a cat/dog/hamster/you name it who is decidedly nonplussed by all the pomp going on around them. 

If you’re going to be using our photo book maker to curate all your Christmas snaps together in the future, then what could be nicer than seeing your furry friend grow and change over the years, too? If they’re open to it, get them a little dressed up for the holiday season – or just let them wander into the frame and look some combination of confused, interested, and ‘over it’.

• Don’t Dodge it Just Because You’re Camera Shy

Okay, okay – so, some of us definitely prefer to avoid any and all photo opportunities that aren’t strictly necessary, but don’t be a Scrooge. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the pair of you in a photo this year that don’t involve a lot of posing (or embracing the embarrassment). 

To name just a few? Have someone snap a romantic pic of the two of you from behind (Christmas tree farms make a great backdrop for a spur-of-the-moment photography session). Wear matching hats if you want to get cute with it. Alternatively, hide your embarrassment behind a pair of strategic hot chocolates complete with a neat helter-skelter of whipped cream, or the trusty old Santa beard. A few candid, silly shots will bring your Christmas photos to life. 

• No Awkward Poses

This is the time to embrace putting yourself out there and getting into the festive cheer, but a great photo can easily feel let down by an awkward pose. True, most of us aren’t used to whipping out some red-carpet-ready posture when the camera switches on, but it’s easier than you might think to pose like you know what you’re doing. 

Plan ahead, look at Instagram for inspiration, shake yourself out beforehand, and forgive yourself for feeling a little silly – we promise the results will be worth it, and it only takes a second or two. 

Follow up with a romantic lunch date and a little Christmas shopping, and you’re onto a winner with this year’s Christmas card.