TL;DR: Don't match. Pick one palette, dress the hardest person first, then give everyone a different piece in those colors. Go for deep reds and greens over bright ones, keep it to one small pattern, and if Santa or a wreath is in the shot, plan your colors around that.
Matching Christmas outfits look cute in the shop photo. In a family portrait they tend to flatten everyone into one red block. I'd coordinate instead. Everyone shares the colors, nobody shares the garment, and one person gets to be the statement. Six palettes follow, plus fixes for the backdrop and the kids.
Four outfits in four sizes. Nobody is wearing the same thing.
Brittney Lear, a family photographer, is blunt about this in her Christmas styling guide. Coordinated looks photograph beautifully, she writes, while matching everything works "not so much." Identical plaid pajamas or the same white shirt on everyone makes the photos feel flat.
Here's the method we'd use. Start with the hardest person to dress. That's usually whoever owns one dress they love, or the toddler who will only wear one sweater. Their piece sets the palette. Pull a neutral and a holiday color from it, then spread them around unevenly. Mom in cream, dad a shade darker, the kids in the holiday color. Nobody needs every color.
Texture does more than print. A cable knit next to velvet already looks rich. Allow one small pattern in the whole photo, ideally on the youngest child, and keep everyone else in solids.
6 Christmas family photo outfit ideas
1. Cranberry with forest green
The tartan goes on the smallest outfit. Everyone else stays solid.
The classic still works if you go deep. Lear warns that candy-cane red and lime green photograph harshly and can overwhelm faces. So swap them for cranberry or wine, and forest or emerald green.
One adult wears a cranberry knit with dark jeans. The other gets an emerald velvet dress. A cream cardigan goes on the older child and a small tartan dress on the toddler. Brown boots tie it together. If you're shooting in front of a tree, push more cream and red into the mix so nobody blends into the branches.
2. Navy with soft gold
Navy does the job black usually does, with less weight.
This is the dressier option. Picture a navy blazer over a cream turtleneck next to a champagne satin skirt, with a little navy velvet dress for the youngest. Gold should stay small. A skirt, a hair bow, maybe ornaments in the frame.
It's our pick for a Santa session. Sarah Drewry, a portrait photographer, suggests colors that complement Santa's bright red suit instead of competing with it. Gold and navy are both on her list for those sessions, alongside green.
3. Cream with wine
Lear calls this her personal favorite: cream and camel with touches of muted burgundy. Mom in a cream dress, dad in a camel sweater, kids in ivory and soft burgundy. It says Christmas without looking like a theme party.
It's also the easiest one to shop from your own closet. Most families already own something cream and something camel. You might only need to buy one wine-colored piece, like a cardigan for a child or a tie for dad, and the whole group suddenly looks planned.
4. Forest green without red
Some families just don't want red. Use soft white and warm grey knits, one forest green sweater or dress, and brown shoes. Lear describes this palette as festive without traditional red. I think it's the best choice for a tree farm or snow, because the green reads against white and the grey keeps it from looking like a uniform. Add a cream scarf or hat if it's cold enough to need one; it lifts the light around faces.
5. Ivory with blush and navy
Less expected, still soft. Most of the family wears ivory or blush, with navy on one or two people for depth. It's a good fit for families who find red too loud, and for indoor sessions near a window where soft light flatters pale colors. Keep the navy on the tallest people so the darker color sits at the back of the group. If you are short on time, a single navy sweater finishes this one. A blush dress on a daughter next to mom in ivory gives you the mommy-and-me look without twin outfits.
6. Cozy Christmas morning
Pajama comfort, without the identical print.
For an in-home session by the tree, keep the cozy feel and skip the matching pajama set. Give each person a solid piece in related colors. A green henley here, an oatmeal sweater there, a grey sweatshirt with red cuffs on the smallest kid. Red socks are the joke you're allowed.
If your family loves matching pajamas, do a few frames in them first, then change into the coordinated look. You get both, and the photographer gets a break between setups.
Plan around the setting
| Setting | Lean toward | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Living room by the tree | Cream, cranberry, navy | Too much green next to the tree |
| Santa session | Gold, green, cream, navy | Bright red that fights Santa's suit |
| Wreath or evergreen backdrop | Cream, wine, navy | Head-to-toe green |
| Outdoor snow or tree farm | Forest green, camel, burgundy | All-white outfits against snow |
| Studio with a light backdrop | Navy, wine, deeper tones | Pale outfits that disappear |
Ask your photographer what the backdrop will be before anyone shops. Drewry's guide points out that a green wreath needs some contrast from the family's outfits. A tree does too.
Dressing each person, and what to skip
Adults are the easy part. For men, Lear suggests a neutral button-down, a sweater or vest in the accent color and neutral trousers. For women, a soft neutral dress, or a textured sweater with a skirt. Let one adult wear the darker shade so the group has an anchor.
With kids, comfort wins. A child who hates the collar will show it in every frame. Corduroy and soft knits are safe, and rompers make life easier with babies. Picky kids? Lear's trick is to show them two options you'd be happy with and let them choose.
Bigger groups need the palette sent out a few weeks early, with one or two example pieces. Keep the pattern rule strict there: one small print in the whole photo. And the dog gets a bandana in the palette, not a Santa costume.
A few things reliably go wrong:
- Slogans or characters on shirts. They date the photo and pull the eye from faces.
- Big plaids or bold stripes on several people at once.
- Neon or very bright reds and greens.
- Identical outfits for everyone.
- New shoes nobody has walked in. Sessions involve more standing than you'd think.
Preview the main piece before you order
Sweater uploaded, Top only selected. Add your photo next, then generate in Studio. Screenshot taken November 10, 2026.
If you're ordering the anchor piece online, see it on the person who'll wear it first. TryAnyOutfit, which we make, puts an outfit from any product photo or screenshot on your real photo. Top only keeps your own trousers, so you can check a new sweater with jeans you already own.
It works on iPhone and Android, and in the web Studio. Credits are shared. It's cheap to start; see pricing. Uploaded photos are auto-deleted after 72 hours unless you save them. You'll see how a color reads on you, not whether it fits, so check the size chart and return window too. Ordering early helps here: with a few weeks before the session, there's still time to swap a piece that doesn't work.
Doing an autumn session first? Our fall family photo outfit ideas has six palettes for parks and fields, and how I picked my outfit for our fall family photos walks through one real choice. For your own holiday plans, see how I picked my Christmas Eve outfit.
Sources
Both photographer guides were checked on November 10, 2026.
Items mentioned
- Cranberry with forest green: Deep red and green with cream, and one small tartan on the youngest child.
- Navy with soft gold: Navy blazer, cream knit, champagne satin and a small navy velvet dress; good for Santa sessions.
- Cream with wine: Cream and camel with touches of muted burgundy, easy to pull from an existing closet.
- Forest green without red: Soft white and warm grey knits with one forest green piece, for tree farms and snow.
- Ivory with blush and navy: Ivory and blush for most of the family with navy on one or two people for depth.
- Cozy Christmas morning: Solid knits and thermals in related colors instead of a matching pajama print.
Frequently asked questions
What colors are best for Christmas family photos?
Deep holiday shades photograph better than bright ones: cranberry or wine, forest or emerald green, navy, cream and soft gold. Pair one holiday color with a neutral and spread them across the family.
Should our family wear matching Christmas outfits?
Coordinating usually looks better than matching. Family photographer Brittney Lear says identical outfits can make photos feel flat. Share a palette and let each person wear a different piece.
What should we wear for photos with Santa?
Choose colors that complement his red suit rather than compete with it. Portrait photographer Sarah Drewry suggests gold, green, cream or ivory, and navy.
How many patterns can we use in a family Christmas photo?
Keep it to one small pattern, such as a tartan dress on the youngest child, and dress everyone else in solids with some texture like knits or velvet.
What should we avoid wearing in Christmas family photos?
Skip logos and character prints, several bold patterns at once, neon or very bright reds and greens, identical outfits, and new shoes nobody has walked in.