It’s the most wonderful time of the year — especially with a little one in the house — but wow, does it all fly by fast.
Between feedings, naps, and trying to remember where you set down your coffee, the season can blur together before you’ve had a chance to capture those blink-and-you-miss-them moments. This is your reminder to snap a few adorable holiday photos you’ll cherish (and display!) for seasons to come.
The best part? Creating sweet, festive pictures doesn’t require an elaborate setup. A couple of dollars on Amazon or Walmart, a few things you already have around the house, or items you’re planning to cook, craft, or decorate with anyway, can turn into the perfect backdrop.
The opportunities for cute holiday-themed shots are truly endless, whether you decide to hire a photographer or want to snap something on your own at home. Here are some wonderfully doable (and adorable) ideas for even the busiest baby days.
1. Share a few cookies with Santa
It’s easy for your baby to sleep after a big bottle, but imagine post-milk plus a few of Santa’s cookies. What to Expect parent Kara Wilson set this up perfectly in the comfort of her own living room: “We knew we wanted to do something fun and unique for his first Christmas pictures,” she says, adding that her son wore these Carter’s Santa PJs from Target.
“I used a Boppy with a pillow stuffed in the hole and a blanket wrapped around it to lay him on. Once I had him asleep, I laid him on the Boppy/pillow and placed a cookie in his hand with the bottle of milk and plate of cookies in front. Almost a year later, it’s still one of our favorite pictures of him!” Depending on how often your baby is sleeping these days, you can make an attempt close to (and even during) naptime.
2. Cruise on over for a tiny tree haul
Danielle Collins, owner of Elles Photography Studios in Florida and Alabama, took this tree-toting toddler to a local Christmas tree farm for a holiday photoshoot. She says her friend gave her the toy car, and her husband spray-painted it red. She purchased the “Farm Fresh Christmas Trees” sticker from Etsy, and nabbed the teeny-tiny Christmas tree similar to this one from Amazon.
“Danielle has photographed my four children since my oldest (now almost 11) was a newborn,” says mom Jessica Roberts. “The Christmas tree farm always feels magical and makes the most beautiful photos. This shoot was extra special for my family because it was for our last baby’s first Christmas.”
If you do re-create this one yourself, Collins' idea to buy or borrow the car second-hand is genius!
3. Take a bite out of the latest viral trend
If there’s one trend we’ll continue to obsess over, it’s the Starbucks snowman baby photos. Parents were thrilled to see the holiday cookie return to the Starbucks menu this year, and WTE mom KellieG22 has all the inspo you need for your own photoshoot.
Simply bite or break off the snowman head and hold it over your baby so they look like they’re wearing it. Pro tip: Order an extra cookie, just in case one breaks (or you need an afternoon pick-me-up) on the ride home.
4. Remember, it’s never too early to read a holiday favorite
WTE mom lyndalee88’s bedtime routine took a spirited twist with a treeside reading of the classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. To recreate it, we recommend propping the baby up with a Boppy pillow like she does (a nursing must-have with lots of other uses!).
5. Introduce your own “Santa baby”
Iryna Federico stocked up on holiday baby gear from Little & Fern, from the Santa hat to red and white booties. “This was an unexpected pregnancy after we lost our little girl at 24 weeks, and he came just before Christmas, she says. "It felt like a meant-to-be Christmas present." Federico and her partner simply set this all up on their bed at home and had a photo shoot in their cozies.
6. Participate in the cutest present unwrapping
Anthony DiDomenico’s nephew's first Christmas was coming up, and he and his sister wanted a photo idea that was fun for the whole family — a photo of their baby bursting through wrapping paper. “This shoot is so simple!” he says. “We had so much fun that we ended up doing it with the whole family after as well as some pets! It’s something that we’d love to keep as a Christmas tradition.” The brother-sister duo just grabbed some tape, wrapping paper, and scissors, and made sure someone was nearby to hold the baby.
Here are his tips for having your own wrapping paper shoot:
Tape the wrapping paper tightly between a doorway.
Use scissors to poke the center, and then use your hands to gently tear a hole where your child’s head will poke through. (Only rip off a bit of the center while keeping the rest intact).
Have someone hold the baby through the wrapping paper. (“Pro tip: If it’s a newborn, have a third person behind the camera to capture the baby’s attention,” he adds).
7. Tuck in your sleepy snowman
If you’re due around the holidays, consider an on-theme newborn photoshoot like this one. “I photographed the tiny baby lying flat on a little bed, all tucked up!” explains Zoë Watt from Wildwood Photography in Australia. “The beautiful hand-felted food and milk are all from a lovely company called Tara Treasures. Being a felt maker myself, I’m always drawn to beautiful felted items.”
You can choose to buy the accessories like this photographer, or head to a local craft supply store for some felt to create this cozy little Christmas-themed bed for your baby on your own. What's more, you don't have to head to a studio to snag the picture either — simply set the shoot up on a white sheet at home and ta-da!
8. Find your little ones under the mistletoe
Mom Mackenzie Fuertes enlisted professional photographer Nicole Buffolino of Chasing the Sun Photography for this heart-warming snapshot of life as a family of five. Her kids were in matching PJs near a few sprigs of mistletoe. “There is nothing like seeing the magic of Christmas through your kid's eyes,” Fuertes says.
“One day, our kids will be grown and running off in separate directions, which makes these moments of togetherness truly a gift.” You can recreate this one at home using your own tree, a blanket you have lying around, and any PJs you like.
9. Celebrate the greatest gift of all
Your baby is truly a gift, and WTE mom lost86 took that concept literally by placing her baby inside a gift box for a quick photo shoot at home. And don’t let the wrapping materials go to waste when you're baby is out — after the photoshoot, add in some toys for your baby before you place it under the tree.
10. Get creative with a carefully placed ornament
Looking for a quick and easy idea? WTE mom mamma0909 made the cheekiest photo op using a plush blanket, red beanie, and one very strategically placed ornament right under their own tree. You have to snap the picture fast though, she says, since babies are super squirmy (especially when their likely wanting to head straight for one of those dangling ornaments).
11. Bake the sweetest cookie for Santa
There are cookies for Santa, and then there are photos of your baby dressed as a cookie for Santa. WTE mom Damainique Bruce’s 3-month-old couldn’t look cuter in this gingerbread onesie, and we love how the setup was complete with a rolling pin, snowflake cookie cutters, and a milk jug and plate for Old Saint Nick.
Bruce says she had a few things on hand, like the Boppy pillow to prop her baby up, and she purchased other props from Hobby Lobby and Walmart to really set the scene. “This shoot was special because this is our first child,” she says. “This was also our first Christmas as a family, as we had gotten married earlier in the year.”
12. Let your little Santa take a break under the tree
For this bird’s-eye view of baby, WTE mom akranz95 put Santa’s mini me under the tree. You can get a similar tree skirt, or cover yours with a plush blanket for a similar effect. Try and take photos just after you’ve put up your tree so you don’t need to worry about pine needles scattered across your “backdrop.” And watch out — your little one is likely to try and grab the ornaments, tree, or both if you aren't watching!
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