Are you visiting Santa this holiday season? Don’t let your outfits stress you out. I’ve put together a simple guide with some recommendations (and links!) to help you figure out exactly what to wear for your holiday photos, with or without Santa.
Haven’t booked your Santa photos yet? I may have some spots left! Check here!
Disclosure: links provided below are affiliate links. I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a commission when you purchase a product on Amazon from a link I’ve provided.
For timeless, classic photos
When planning a look for timeless photos that you could hang up on your wall, I always recommend neutral tones. Avoid bold colors like red, orange, hot pink, and royal blue, and choose muted tones like white, tan, mauve, dusty blue, or sage. For the season, you can work in deep burgundy or hunter green in smaller amounts, but the darker your clothes are, the less light they will reflect and your photos as a whole will have a darker look.
C + E are both wearing neutral toned sweater dresses, both on Amazon. E’s dress, on the right can be found here. C’s dress, on the left, can be found here. There is a boy’s sweater version of C’s dress available here if you love the look. Pair dresses with black or gold tights, and the sweater would pair beautifully with khakis. Sparkly or black shoes will bring it all together!
For fun, festive holiday photos
Is this session purely for fun and memories? Consider a pajama session! Matching family pajamas are a tradition in so many families; why not open your PJs early for family photos?
When choosing matching family pajamas for photographs, avoid PJs with large words on the front of shirts (though I love the mama bear, papa bear, baby bear sets, words don’t usually photograph well). I love this set from The Children’s place on Amazon. It has a little bit of festive red in it, but still leans neutral and warm.
Last tips to consider
If you’re not into neutrals or pajamas, consider non-traditional holiday colors like blues or purples. Red can photograph strangely (plus, if Santa you’re with Santa, you don’t want to blend in!), and green can cast the color back onto your skin, washing you out. Navy blue photographs beautifully and can complement gold or ivory tones. You can even go toward baby pinks or deep purple. When choosing a color, plan for one person to be the focal point of the color, and coordinate the outfits around them. If more than one person is wearing that color, consider buying the same dress or shirt for both of them. This prevents the colors from clashing against each other.
Try your outfits on before the day of your session to make sure everything fits and is comfortable. Cut tags out of children’s clothing to avoid itchiness and distractions for them; make sure shoes fit comfortably, and steam or press any outfits to remove wrinkles. Lastly, choose outfits that are true to you! If you don’t wear dresses ever, don’t wear one for your photos. Wear things that make you confident and it will show!
No matter what you choose to wear for your holiday photos, have a great time and enjoy the moment! These are memories that last forever.
