Fun and Creative Holiday Cards and Family Photo Ideas

Season's greetings!

Click through to get in the holiday spirit with these 11 amazing card ideas and make something special for your friends and family this year.

"Getting the tree" photo card

Bundle up the brood and head outside for some playtime to create a super-cute and candid holiday card like this one from photographer and mom Melissa Diep. Her little ones re-enacted the traditional “getting the tree” shot with just a few simple props and a natural wintery backdrop.

For your family photo card, Melissa recommends choosing a location that reminds you of the season, such as a Christmas tree lot or a red fire station. And forget the poses for your little tots with lots of energy — let their true personalities shine through. That's what your friends and family want to see, after all.

Check out the full post for more great tips on how to take a festive family holiday photo.

Oversized Ornaments

This DIY oversized ornament idea from Ducklings in a Row is perfect for families who are looking to create a truly unique holiday card.

Mom Chrissann — who doubles as a party planner when not dreaming up clever crafts — used leftover balloons from her little one’s birthday party, standard silver baking cups, baker's twine, glitter and glue to create these pretty props. Use them in a photo shoot with your kids for this year’s holiday card and wow everyone!

A joyful family photo

Project Nursery has another delightful Christmas card idea that will surely bring some joy to your family and friends this season. Grab the kids — dressed to the nines in their cozy holiday best — a few letters as props and head out to your favorite winter spot for a family photo shoot. Print the best one and you've got yourself an adorable holiday card and family keepsake!

Be sure to head to the full post for even more creative card ideas.

Flashy Fun

Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! has a brilliant idea for a light-up reindeer greeting card that will surely bring some cheer to your family and friends.

To add a little "geek" to your cards, as mom Stephanie puts it, you'll need a 1.6 volt red LED light, a 3-volt battery, copper and electrical tape, a glue stick, recycled cards and any other decorative elements you may want to add. Inserting the LED pins and placing the battery is simpler than it sounds, especially with the excellent step-by-step pictorial provided at the post.

Tutu Cute

Mom Tara of Spot of Tea Designs handmade the tutu and headband for her little Brielle’s Christmas card photo shoot, but you can certainly use clothing and accessories you already have or even buy a special outfit for the occasion.

Find a spot with a lot of natural light, use a fabric of your choosing as a backdrop and start snapping precious shots of your tot. Print the best ones onto your holiday card and let the oohing and awing begin! Head to the post for more great tips, plus instructions on how to make the gorgeous headband and tutu.

Pretty on Paper

This lovely homemade card craft from Buggy and Buddy is not only budget-conscious, requiring just a few inexpensive materials, but can be easily adapted so that kids of all ages can get in on the fun.

Grab some construction paper, glue, pom poms or sequins and follow the instructions from mom Chelsey. Her brood especially enjoyed the accordion fold technique for the tree element and gluing on the "ornaments."

Christmas Charm

Stephanie over at Wedding Party has shared some truly great no-fuss photo card ideas that can incorporate all members of the family — even your furry friends!

We especially adore this playful pose with a festively framed chalkboard sign. Choose a wintery backdrop, customize the wording, add the whole family and presto – you’ve got yourself one charming Christmas card! See the full post for more inspiring ideas.

Picture Perfect

Don’t miss out on this chic holiday card idea, offered up by Hey Love Designs.

First, print favorite photos of your little ones or the entire family. If you use Instagram, mom Michelle recommends using Prinstagram for an affordable pack of mini-prints. She used festive washi tape, a glittery Sharpie to write special messages, as well as assorted holiday confetti (found at any craft store) for an added yuletide touch. Finish it off by tying some red and white baker’s twine around the envelope.

Head to the post for more tips, plus find out how to make ordinary white envelopes extraordinary!

Festive Felt

The family will have a splendid time making these colorful cards from our friends at Northstory.

First, gather some felt in classic Christmas hues or create your own holiday color palette. Then, choose from several different patterns to make the card’s outer design. Alex shares many great pattern ideas, from ornaments and string lights to mistletoe and holiday greetings. Check out the full post for useful tips on making stencils, gluing the felt and correctly cutting out letters.

Wonderful Wreath

Assorted green buttons, red ribbon and a glue gun is all you need to make this sweet and simple card from Hopeful Honey. One tip to ensure the perfect circle is to use a round bottle lid to trace out your wreath on a blank card or piece of paper. With the help of your glue gun, start placing the buttons. A red ribbon bow is the finishing touch.

Tiered Trees

Keep little hands busy making these adorable stacked presents Christmas tree cards from Mary Making. Mom Mary combined her eye for graphic design and resourcefulness to reuse old scrapbook or construction paper (or even recycled Christmas cards from last year) and turned it into a fun project for the whole family. The kids will have a marvelous time cutting out and gluing the shapes to the card.

Happy Hanukkah

The kiddos can help out every step of the way to create these homemade Hanukkah tin foil cards from Scrumdilly-do.

To make your own, you'll need tinfoil, glue, cardboard, crepe or tissue paper and embroidery thread. The kids will love getting their hands dirty tearing the colored paper and thread and then mixing it all into a glob of glue onto the tinfoil. From cardboard, have your kids trace festive Hanukkah shapes, like the Star of David or a dreidel. Check out the full post for the rest of the steps and a great pictorial.

Let it snow!

Photographer Britain Earl has a ton of sweet and festive Christmas card ideas over at her site, but this charming pose really caught our eye. It’s a great option if you just want to feature your little ones for the ultimate winter-inspired card. The little girls’ accessories are perfection!

Plus, don’t miss Britain’s five pointers for capturing the “perfect snow image,” including the secret to styling your shots (hint: avoid matchy/matchy).

Beautiful bunting

If you really want your holiday card to stand out this year, make this family bunting card from Delia Creates. First, take individual photos of each family member in their holiday best. Get creative with your photo poses — like jumping, dancing or even eating holiday cookies!

Print out as many copies as you need, and then start cutting away. You’ll also need some baker’s twine and washi tape to assemble the bunting. For more tips and ideas, check out the blog.

Whimsical reflection

We adore the playfulness and simplicity of this holiday card idea from Austin, Texas family photographer Leilani Rogers and featured on the blog Simply Kierste.

What could be easier? Gather the brood and pick a spot in the house that will also capture your Christmas tree or holiday decorations in the reflection. For the best results, us a large, silver ball ornament.

Have your selfie a merry holiday card

Mom and blogger Lori of HoHumCards sent this card out to friends before the term “selfie” was a household name. It’s special for Lori and her family since it was her mother’s last appearance in a card before she passed away. Check out her site for more fun family card ideas!

Family newsletter

Do you have a favorite family photo but aren’t sure how to incorporate it into a fun holiday card or gift? With this simple tutorial from Delineate Your Dwelling, you can create an incredibly unique ornament that doubles as a holiday card that family and friends can enjoy for more than just one season.

Use a local or online service to have your photo transferred to a fabric design of your choosing and gather sewing thread (in a festive color!) and quilt batting. Head to the post for the full how-to and additional supplies needed.