It’s true that a professional photographer can create a one-of-a-kind image that will certainly make your holiday photo cards look great. But with today’s user-friendly digital cameras, you can also create great-looking photos yourself.

Many people like to take a photo of the family in front of the Christmas tree. They simply put the camera on a tripod, stand in front of the tree and snap. But there are plenty of ways to make this type of photo more creative. One idea for getting a great Christmas photo card in front of the tree is to have family members dress in opposite colors – for instance, the men could wear red and the women could wear green. Or everyone can wear the same contrasting shirts and pants.

If you’d like to have a little fun, have everyone wear reindeer antlers or Santa hats. If your normal holiday photo just includes a standard photo of everyone looking at the camera and smiling, this will be a fun alternative. You can also turn a standard photo of everyone in front of the tree into a more whimsical image simply by selecting new poses and adding some variations in height and perspective.

For instance, you could have one person standing on a ladder placing an ornament on the tree, while others stand. If you’re a couple with a child, you could even have the two of you standing while holding the child in a horizontal position in front of you. Or you could all lie down on the floor with your heads together and have someone stand above and shoot down. Be creative!

Another idea is to take the photo in front of a Christmas-themed backdrop rather than at home in front of the tree. Check out the holiday displays at the local mall or other area businesses. Since businesses are looking to pull in the Christmas shoppers, they’ll often have colorful display featuring Christmas scenes. You can usually get pictures of your family in front of these displays. But if a particular business won’t let you do that, head for a smaller shop and just ask. Most business owners are happy to oblige.

For more ideas, just look at any website offering photo Christmas cards. The sample images you’ll find on these cards will give you some great ideas. Then go have fun! And remember – the perfect Christmas picture is the one where everyone in the photo is enjoying themselves and the camera has captured the moment so you can enjoy it for years to come.

But with so many options, where to start? Here’s a quick list of online sites that offer custom holiday photo cards, along with notes on some of the cool stuff – from tri-fold cards to a service that stamps and mails your cards for you – you’ll find at each.

HP Snapfish

Snapfish is a well-known Internet brand when it comes to photo sharing and gifts. Here you’ll find dozens of custom holiday photo card designs in 4″ x 8″ and 5″ x 7″ sizes. Depending on the design you select, you’ll be able to upload up to four photos on your cards. What’s nice about shopping here? If you’re in a hurry, you can opt for in-store pickup at a local Walgreens. If not, you can always choose snail mail delivery.

Astonishing Cards.com

The great thing about Astonishing Cards.com is that they’ll send cards out for you at no additional charge if you purchase 50 or more holiday photo cards or large folded cards. Each design comes in three size options – large (7 3/4 x 5 1/8), small (5 1/2 x 3 1/4) or postcard (flat 4 x 6). You simply select your card size and design (such as the design shown at the top of this post), upload your image, personalize the card, submit payment, provide addresses for your recipients, and you’re done. They’ll print and send the cards out the next day. It’s like having your own personal team of Santa’s elves to help you with your Christmas mailing list.

Pear Tree Greetings has a variety of traditional postcard-style and folding photo cards, but what I like about this site is that they also have some very unusual designs, including cards that give you room to print your Christmas letter, ornament-shaped cards that can hang on the tree, and plenty of other options. And most of their cards are printed on 100% recycled card stock, so you can feel good about being green at Christmas.

Smilebox

Smilebox is a fairly new kid on the block when it comes to holiday greetings, but don’t expect the traditional printed designs here. Their specialty is electronic greeting cards that you can customize with your own photos, message and choice of text, but they also offer the option of printing your creations from your own computer. So if you’re looking for some fun holiday photo cards you can print at home, be sure to check out this site, as it only costs $3.99 to upgrade to a premium ad-free creation that you can print out. (Free versions can online be viewed online and include ads.)