27 Creative Christmas Photo Ideas You Can Do At Home

Looking for at home Christmas picture ideas? You’ll love this list of DIY Christmas photo inspiration that you can recreate yourself easily. 

Nowadays it seems that the Christmas photo card is an inevitable part of the holiday madness.

And a Christmas baby photo shoot is part of the inevitable milestones that come with having a new baby. 

I love receiving cards from family and friends and checking out their cute kids each year and of course, I like showing off mine too!

I love getting professional photos taken every year but they can really get expensive.

That’s why I’ve been holding my own DIY Christmas photoshoot for my holiday cards the past few years.

Not only does it save me money but it has allowed me to take advantage of the offers of free photo cards and coupons that typically come around in October and November.

This page contains affiliate links meaning I earn a commission if you use those links. Please read my Disclosure for more information.

RELATED POSTS

14 Christmas Art Ideas For Kids

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Ornament

Christmas Photoshoot Ideas At Home

Every year I search the web for ideas for photos I can take with the kids that will be great for our cards and calendars.

Thanks to my DIY Christmas pictures,  I not only save a lot of money but also the stress of loading the kids up in the car and dealing with the inevitable meltdowns.

To be honest, a huge advantage of a DIY Christmas photoshoot is that it eliminates the stress of them not cooperating and me feeling like I’ve wasted my money. 

It can’t only be my children who see a camera and automatically become monsters who won’t look at the lens!.

Before we dive into the DIY Christmas pictures inspiration, here are my top tips for having the perfect Christmas photoshoot with your babies and toddlers:

MORE FUN CHRISTMAS POSTS

Free Letter To Santa Printable Templates

10 Ways To Make Baby’s First Christmas Special

Christmas Photo Ideas for Kids

Below you will find some really cute (and easy), at home Christmas picture ideas that you can do yourself. 

Just get your children dressed in some cute holiday pjs or a festive outfit and grab a few props. 

If your house is super dark and its hard to get good lighting, consider investing in a cheap Ring light.

I got this one from Amazon for less than $50 and it brightens up even the darkest room on a budget.

How To Use These DIY Christmas Pictures 

You can copy the ideas in this post or change them up depending on the age or your kids and your supplies. 

Where possible, I’ve included links below each image so you can check out the photographer or blogger that shared the idea.  there are often tutorials and more great inspirational images.

Santa’s Elf

One of my own photos, cute PJs, a white curtain with twinkly lights and a fluffy blanket is all you need for this cute Christmas photo idea. 

My biggest tip for getting cute photos of a baby like this one (she was 9 months old at the time), is to prep everything during nap time then when baby wakes up, quickly get her dressed and start taking photos while she is happy. 

I added some Christmas baubles to keep her occupied while I snapped away.

(you can get candy cane pjs for your kids for a great price here)

Grab these items to recreate the look:

• White curtains or a white backdrop
• Cute elf pjs
• Christmas lights
• Christmas baubles 

Cozy Little Christmas

 

 

Ok, so this is a but of a crazy one but if you are willing to give it a try and don’t mind a bit of mess, it turns out great! 

You want to make a bunch of hot chocolate and let it cool enough that baby can sit in the tub. 
(A galvanized metal tub gives a great vintage look). 
Then, toss in some marshmallows and you have your own steaming cup of cuteness! 

Grab these items to recreate the look:

• Large tub
• Hot chocolate
• Marshmallow
• Christmas tree or decorations in the background
• Christmas hat

Baby Christmas Flatlay

If you want a modern look to your Christmas card photos this year, why not go for an easy flatlay? 
This look only really works for little babies who aren’t crawling yet though!

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Wooden floor
• Crochet blankent
• String of twinkle lights
• Christmas pjs

 

Up on the rooftop

Some of the best at home Christmas picture ideas require a little bit pf preparation.

I love this cute photo of a little girl popping out of a chimney. 

This wonderful DIY chimney prop from pagingfunmoms.com. is simple and cheap to make.

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• A cardboard box
• Paint
• A Santa sack

Candy Cane Lane

A white blanket, candy canes, and striped pyjamas are all you need to recreate this DIY Christmas photo.

This photo is perfect for a Christmas card or to put on display and it is so easy to do.

A good preset on the Lightroom app will help to brighten up your photo if it comes out too dark. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Elf pjs
• White Blanket
• Candy canes

The Best Christmas Present

Wrap an empty box with holiday paper, put a cute Santa hat on your baby and you have the most adorable gift this year!To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• A cardboard box
• Wrapping paper
• A Santa hat and a nice background (Christmas tree works great!)

Cookies for Santa

 

Milk, cookies and holiday pjs make an easy and super cute Christmas photo.

To recreate the background, you can use empty boxes wrapped in holiday paper. 
Inspiration from: Rebecca-LynnePhotography.com

To recreate this look, you’ll need: 

• Cookies
• Christmas Pjs, 
• A mug of hot chocolate

Who Stole Santa’s Cookies? 

Sticking with the cookie theme, if you have a teeny tiny baby, how about this adorable idea? 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• A plate of cookies
• A Santa hat 

 Simple and Sweet

A Santa hat and a candy cane are all you need for a super sweet photo.
You can add background effects like bokeh twinkly lights afterward.

Inspiration: Joliemoorephotography.com

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• A white background
• Candy cane
• Santa hat

 

Snowy Sweden

You can buy cheap photography backdrops online and create your own scene.

Then all you need are some Christmas boxes and a fuzzy blanket and you are ready for some really fun pictures. 
Amazon has some great inexpensive options like the one I used below.

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Christmas gift boxes
• Fuzzy blanket
• Christmas backdrop from Amazom

 

Sparkling Lights

Use fairy lights to light up a dark room and add a Santa Hat for some festive cheer.

Note – although they are really cute, Christmas fairy lights are actually toxic and should not be put into mouths. 

Inspiration: Purpplemoments

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Twinkle Light
• Santa hat

T’was the night before Christmas

Photo Courtesy: Bluebird Imagery

The pjs in bed scene is super easy to recreate and looks so cute!

Use white bedding with a red pillow to recreate the look. 

You can buy a cute Silent Night banner from Etsy.

Then give your kids an interesting book to look at while you snap away. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Cute banner
• White linen on bed
• Christmas pjs
• Big book

Candy Cane Baby

 

If it is baby’s first Christmas, then make it special with a really cute photo like this simple one that you can do at home.

All you need are some cute newborn candy cane pjs. 

When baby is sleeping, slip a real candy hand in his hands and start taking your cute holiday photos. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Sleeping baby
• Candy cane

 

Santa’s Sack

For this photo, you can grab a cute Santa sack from the dollar store and then pop baby inside while you take some photos.

This picture has used a premium photo editor to remove the background but you can take the photo against a plain wall or in front of the Christmas tree. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Santa Sack

 

Christmas Teddy

Here is one of the easiest at home Christmas picture ideas.

A cute Christmas toddy bear and an even cuter Christmas hat on your baby and you are good to go! 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Christmas teddy bear or stuffie
• Santa hat

 

Elf Hat

To recreate this simple DIY Christmas photoshoot idea, you will need a cute knitted elf hat.

Then just place your baby on a white blanket or rug. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• White blanket
• Santa hat

 

Santa Baby

A cute baby Santa suit and a red holiday ornament are all you need for this DIY Christmas photoshoot.

To make it easier, use white bedding for your background.

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Santa suit for baby
• White linen on bed

How adorable is this little snowman?
You can make it even more fun by breaking off the snowman head so it turns your baby into a little snow-baby themselves! 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• White blanket
• Snowman cookie

Wrapped in A Bow

 

Gather your baby friends together for an adorable photo for baby’s first Christmas!
All you need are some big holiday bows!

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Large bows

Silent Night 

 

What is more cute than a sleeping baby? 
A sleeping baby under the tree! 

 Grab a wicker basket and recreate this adorable “night before Christmas”scene. 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Moses basket
• Christmas tree

 

The Ultimate Stocking Stuffer

Keep it simple and use a big Christmas stocking as a photo prop. 
Baby really is the perfect stocking stuffer! 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Large Christmas stocking
• Santa hat

Runaway Santa

Dress your baby girl in a cute ruffle bum diaper cover and a santa hat and you have a really fun idea for baby’s first Christmas.

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• Ruffle diaper cover
• Santa hat

Ball Pit Baby

 

Lay your baby on a red blanket and wait for them to fall asleep.

Then surround them with different colored Christmas baubles for a fun holiday photo! 

To recreate this look, you’ll need:

• • Red Blanket
  • Christmas balls

Driving Home For Christmas

Head outside to the tree farm for a fantastic photo shoot for your older baby! 

Take a toy car with you and they can pretend they are picking up the Christmas tree for the family! 

If you have a toy car with a roof, you can even tie a little tree to the roof! 

Here’s what you need to get this look:

• • Small Car for your child to ride in
  • Tree farm or fir trees in the background

Sleepin’ Around The Christmas Tree

This set up takes a little longer but if you have the patience, you can get a really cool, professional looking photo with this idea. 
You will need to hang a long string of lights around the tree and set your phone to create a blurry background. 

Put baby in the foreground sleeping or playing nicely.

Here’s what you need to get this look:

• • • • • • Long string of twinkle lights
          • Christmas tree
          • White blanket
          • Large Santa hat

    Oversized Santa Hat

    
    Sometimes simple is best! An adult sized Santa hat and a white blanket are all you need to get this gorgeous look. 

    Here’s what you need to get this look:

  • Adult sized Santa hat
  • White blanket

  • Silly Santa

    

    Sometimes you need to get a little crazy!

    Find some fun props like these silly glasses and place baby in a basket or on a blanket.
    Christmas pjs and the tree in the background make this scene. 

    Here’s what you need to get this look:

    • Silly glasses with a festive them
    • Christmas tree
    • Christmas pjs
    • White blanket

    6 Tips for Taking Photos of Your Kids

    

    Timing is everything

    I tend to do my photos either first thing in the morning or right after nap time when they are energized and happy.

    Tired children mean stressful photo sessions.

    Prep everything in advance

     Be ready to just dress them and plop them down as soon as you can.

    You don’t want to be faffing around with backdrops once they are in position

    Grab a bell or noise-maker

    This works to get their attention so that they look at the camera.

    Shouting “look, there’s Elsa!” seems to work for us too!

    Keep it simple

    Don’t be overambitious and try numerous outfit changes or fancy props.

    Be quick

    Get ready to snap, snap, snap.

    Out of 100 photos, I normally get 5-10 that I can use/they are smiling/looking at the camera.

    Photoshop is your friend

    Remember that you can edit a lot nowadays.

    I use the free Lightroom app on my iPhone with some preset filters that I got from Etsy. 

     

     

    More Christmas Ideas:

    20 Baby Stocking Stuffers For A Special Christmas

    12 Easy Ways to Save on Holiday Shopping

    50 Stocking Stuffers that will cut down on junk and save money

    Free Printable Scavenger Hunt for Kids

    Looking for a way to simplify your holiday season this year?

    Last year I started using a Christmas Planner and it completely streamlined my holidays and made me so much more organized.
    The planner I use has planning pages for Black Friday, Online purchase trackers, Christmas card lists and gift budgets and planners.

    It also comes with a 50 page bonus printable Christmas journal for kids which makes a great stocking stuffer that will keep them occupied all holiday long.

    Check out the planner and the bonus journal here.