5 Festive Christmas photo ideas

I like to keep it interesting around the Stauffer Design Co. household. Others might say I bite off too much, but you tell me…last week I hosted the Jr. League of Springfield as the VIP house for the 2021 Fall Home Tour and then the day after the show was over I jumped right in to decorating for Christmas. Not because I love Christmas that much, don’t let me fool you, it’s because I am joining with local photographer Kimberly Ikenroth to stage a Christmas photoshoot right here in my very own living room. I wanted to share a few inspiring photos that might help with your own planning for your 2021 Christmas card.

1. The Fireplace

If you’re fortunate enough to have a fireplace that you’re proud of, then you are in good shape for a Christmas Photo-op. Every fireplace looks beautiful with an oversized stretch of garland draped across. Pro-tip: the bigger the better. It’s great to get a few strands of garland at the decor store, but get extra. The more variety of greenery or color you can add in the more visually interesting the garland will look. If you look closely in this photo there are many different leaves and tones going on that’s what makes this one so spectacular. When decorating the fireplace for your Christmas card photo, think warmth. The basket of fluffy blankets makes the backdrop complete as well as the lit candles on the mantle. It all goes together.

2. The front porch

This back drop is pretty simple and that’s what I love about it most. No need to garbage up your photo with tinsel, twine, and burlap sacks that say, “burlap sack”, keep the focus on you and your loved ones. Make your Christmas photo outfits really special and you’ll cherish the photo for years to come.

3. The Bannister

When I was in the planning stage of setting up a Christmas Photo Shoot, I was really torn between staging the bannister or the fireplace. I love both in my home, but ultimately the fireplace lost out because the big windows on each side make the lighting really hard to work with. Boo. First world problems. Like the fireplace, there is nothing better than a big fat jolly old soul version of garland. If you do garland on both the fireplace and the bannister and they are relatively close to each other, make sure they are complementary to one another. Like I did with the tree in this photo. I made sure to buy enough of the extra greenery and flowers so that I would have plenty to fill in both the tree and the garland. I made this scene interesting my incorporating unexpected colors like the pink, purple, and fushias.

4. The yard

So maybe we’re not all blessed with a grove of Christmas trees in our very own yard, but make do. Find one tree, ask to crash a neighbor’s yard, or make a great old fashion family Christmas vacation to a place where Christmas trees are a ’plenty. This Christmas photo idea can get as elaborate as you so choose because you have the space to do with it what you want. I love the nostalgic sled and rocking horse in the photo and simple craft paper wrappings always please me. Oh what fun it would be to have all the extended family together for a Christmas photo amongst the pines?

5. The Bedroom

Maybe I’m behind the times, but family photos on beds are still my absolute favorite. Little bare feet and warm snuggles make the whole scene just precious, so why not add a little twinkle. Picture this, everyone in their matching Hanna Andersson jammies, a tray of Santa’s cookies and milk on the nightstand and sweet magic of kids who cannot wait to open the presents at the foot of the bed. Gah. I love it all.

What is your favorite Christmas Photo idea? Are you doing Christmas cards this year? If you’re local to Springfield, reach out to me or Kimberly Ikenroth to book your appointment for the 2021 Christmas Minis.