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How to create the perfect Christmas card

family photo outfits

Tis’ the season for holiday cards! It is time to decide if you are sending a cheery Christmas card to all of your family, friends, and neighbors. As you sit down to decide upon your card this year, I wanted to share a few tips to make the process a little less nerve-wracking.

family photo for Christmas card

The picture is the most important part of the card

A picture is worth a thousand words, therefore I like to let my photos do most of the talking when it comes to holiday cards. Listed below are some important things to think about when selecting photos to include on your card.

Christmas card photo

Make sure your photo is clear

First and foremost, is the photo you are sending out to all the people you care about a high-quality photo that looks crisp and clear? Nothing is worse than seeing that your gorgeous family photo looks pixelated and blurry on your cards. It is also frustrating to receive blurry photos in the mail when you want to see your loved ones clearly. An easy way to make sure you have crisp photos is to work with a professional photographer, which leads to my next point.

Holiday card photo tips

Plan a family photo session

Plan a family photo session with a photographer. It is rare that a candid photo on your phone is appropriate to send out on your holiday card. They rarely successfully show everyone’s faces clearly while including the entire fam in the picture. To remedy this problem, schedule a professional photo shoot with a photographer that is getting paid to make your family look good! It’s their job, therefore most of them are really good at it! Some ideas for the best locations for photos:

  • Your home: your kids are comfortable there and you don’t have to worry about a tense car ride to a photo destination.
  • The mountains: you can’t go wrong with a pretty mountain backdrop. Bonus points for cozy sweaters and scarfs!
  • A Christmas tree farm: we did this for ours last year and LOVED it! They looked festive without being too over-the-top. You can see them here.
  • Cityscape: change things up and hit downtown for a different vibe in your photos. This could be fun if you have previously done outdoorsy photo shoots in the past and are looking for something a little different. Britt and Sam did their engagements in the city and they are lovely, you can check them out here.
  • A park: never underestimate the beauty of a simple park. Utah boasts parks with rivers, waterfalls, and majestic backdrops so we might as well put them to use! We both went with parks this year as the backdrop for our Christmas card photos. (Britt did hers in the summertime with sunshine and blooms at a historic park. I chose to do mine at a brand new park nestled at the bottom of a canyon with a river running through it and tons of foliage.)
family photo outfits

Show your personality

Now, it is great and NECESSARY to pick a photo that shows off you and your family member’s personalities! Steer clear of anything too serious or stuffy. Think about the kind of photo you want to be sending, probably something to make whoever receives it smile!

toddler photo for Christmas card
Toddler family pictures for holiday card

Choose a card with a front and back

Use the advantage of cards with both sides! That way you don’t have to narrow your picture choices to just one. We usually have a picture of the entire family on the front and then a picture of just our little ones on the back. It is nice to offer variety without throwing in a 20 photo collage that looks messy.

Chatbooks Holiday card selection

Use technology to your advantage!

We have it SO easy these days with so many resources that make Christmas and holiday cards a breeze. Our personal favorite is Chatbooks (a Utah company) that specializes in photo books but also offers HUNDREDS of options for cards. Their cards are professional, pretty, and super simple to make. I am not kidding when I tell you that it took me less than 5-minutes start-to-finish to create my cards this year! Use promo code: TWINTESTED40 for 40% off your cards this year – woohoo!!

Holiday card options

Celebrate Everyday Challenge

As part of our celebrate everyday challenge for November we wanted to dedicate one day to getting holiday cards done. Holiday cards are usually pretty simple but can get tricky when you don’t set aside time to get them done. I have been known to order mine the week before Christmas which ends up being completely nuts! So make today that day and feel even better about getting ahead of the game by using TWINTESTED40 for 40% off your cards! Then you can check that item off your holiday to-do list! Chatbooks added gold foil designs this year to their collection and they are GORGEOUS! Go check them out here.

Make a list and check it twice

I am married to an Xcel spreadsheet lover which comes in quite handy at times like this. Over the years he has curated our holiday card address list. He updates it when friends and family move and regularly adds people to the list. This makes the sending process so much smoother! And it is a relief not having to nag people for their address every year around the holidays.

If nothing else, have fun!

A mailbox full of holiday cards from family and friends is a happy occurrence. Know that you are sending out little bits of happiness that make people smile. If you love to write a 5-page letter with your card every year, please don’t let this guide stop you. If you love to include 10 photos, instead of just two – do it! Bottom line, do whatever makes you happy and let your personality shine through!

Happy card making!

For more photo tips you can check out:

Couples Photo Tips (with more than 10 million views!)

Family Photo Tips (with more than 6 million views!)

How to Make Your Toddler Smile in Photos (1 million views!)

Happy Holidays!

November 15, 2019 Leave a Comment

What outfits to wear in family photos

It can be overwhelming to decide what your family members will wear in photos.  I want to lay out a few guidelines that help me keep things streamlined for family photos each year.

outdoor family photos

Start with one color

As an easy go-to, I always start with a base of navy blue pieces. After talking to dozens of photographers over the years, the majority have shared that navy blue looks the best in photos. Gotta go with the pros.

Start to layer in accent colors

After you have decided on your navy blue base it is time to start layering in accent colors. Depending on the time of year you may want to go with pastels or bold colors. It is up to you!

Don’t forget the neutrals

You can’t go wrong with neutrals and navy blue as your family photo colors. This year I chose a pretty neutral palette and found a warm, fuzzy, gray coat that I loved.  We wanted Lila to be the star of the show in a mustard yellow pea coat! Neutrals can bring warmth to your photos.

Consider the venue

Consider the venue when you are putting together everyone’s outfits. We have taken our family photos in fall foliage, at home, at a pretty park, and this year we went with a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas tree farm felt festive and was perfect for our holiday card.

When in doubt, ask your photographer

If you just cannot decide what to wear in family photos – ask your photographer for suggestions! They have seen many family portraits and will have a great idea of what looks best.

Think outside the box

Ali Anderson Photography took our photos, she is really wonderful, ESPECIALLY with toddlers which is not an easy task!  We took our Christmas card photos at a tree farm in Alpine, Utah. If you look up “tree farm photos” you will be barraged with red and green plaid. Now I am not hating on red/green plaid because it is timeless and festive. However, we did something a little more unexpected and I love how it turned out.

family photo outfits

For Lila’s look:

We wanted Lila to be the focus of our pictures this year (proud first-time parents what can I say?) I stumbled upon a mustard yellow pea coat at Target! I immediately loved the color and knew it would pop in the photos. Plus, the cape is removable so we opted to take it off since it looked a little bulky on her. This coat is similar and a gorgeous color, but you can’t beat the $26 price tag on this one. Her shoes are Freshly Picked and she wears this mary jane style. They really are the only shoes that do not slip off her feet and they are SO cute!

For Parker’s look:

We kept it pretty simple. He loves a good half-zip sweater so we found one in classic navy, our base color, that he loved. This one is similar. We felt like a coat on him would like too heavy and bulky for the photos. As for his pants, we went with the classic khaki chino. These are similar, and if your guy likes to golf they can also wear them on the golf course. His shoes are a great staple to have in your closet. You can find them here.

For my look:

I found the coziest hybrid jacket/sweater, but it is now sold out. However, I did find this one with the same sort of look. I wore my favorite jeans from Banana Republic. These ones are similar. I topped it with the striped top because I felt like it helped to tie Parker and Lila’s looks all together. The top I have is sold out but this is a similar one with collar detail! For footwear, I went with my everydayblack booties from Nordstrom and they are my winter staple! I honestly wear mine every day in the cooler weather because they can be dressed up or dressed down.

Tried and True Family Picture Rules

Do you guys have any rules you follow when it comes to family photos? Our photographer Ali went above and beyond to keep Lila smiling in the cold weather. We brought Lila’s favorite toy, a little stuffed animal cat, and as long as Ali was holding it by the camera Lila kept smiling!

family photo outfits Toddler outfit for photos

Don’t be too matchy-matchy

Try not to fall into the trap of being too matchy-matchy when it comes to family pictures or you could end up looking like those all denim nightmares from the eighties! As long as the outfits complement one another, you are good to go!

Check out our other photography tips

couple photos do's and don'ts

First up, our most popular blog post of all time: Couple Photos Do’s and Don’ts. Britt and Sam show couple poses to try and the poses to avoid! This is perfect if you have engagement or wedding photos in your future.

family pictures

family photos

Next up, Family Photo Do’s and Don’ts. We had so much fun doing this photoshoot where we show poses that work and poses that should be avoided at all costs. Skim through if you need some ideas for your family photos!

photo tips

And last of all, our Photography Tips From the Pros. Jessica Janae is a bombshell and taught us some tried and true poses and tricks to do in front of the camera. Hint hint, don’t do the head tilt!

Hopefully, these tips can help you achieve the family pictures that you are dreaming of! If nothing else, have fun! It shows through the photos if you are really enjoying yourself. Best of luck!



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December 9, 2018 1 Comment

Hi! We are identical twins, Brooke & Brittany. We test the latest trends in fashion, beauty, travel and fitness so that you don't have to.

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