A couple of years ago, my family and I were in a store and stumbled upon a tree display. We couldn't resist—it felt like we were at a Christmas tree farm, so we posed for some goofy photos as if we were taking pictures for our holiday card. It was spontaneous, silly, and a lot of fun.
Fast forward to this year, and before Halloween even arrived, I started seeing Christmas decorations pop up at our local Walmart. It reminded me of that playful day, so I snapped a picture of a "Merry Christmas" display and shared it with my family, joking, "This could be our family photo spot this year!"
Coordinating family photos for a holiday card can be challenging—timing, moods, and getting everyone (including the dogs) to cooperate. This year, I took our family photo right at home instead of stressing over a picture-perfect outing. It was just us, relaxed, with our dogs in the mix. One of our dogs has arthritis, so I made sure he was comfortable by letting him lie down for the shot, avoiding unnecessary discomfort.
But I wanted the final result to be something special. So, I decided to create a unique scene by blending some of our home photos with some AI magic. First, I edited out all the sale tags and distracting backgrounds from the store's tree display.
Then, I generated an AI image that would seamlessly fit in with the "Merry Christmas" sign. I layered in our family, added the dogs, and used shadows and touch-ups to make it look natural—like we were truly posing among those festive trees.
I wanted to keep the magic going for the back of the card. I created another AI image, this time incorporating a peaceful manger scene, blending it with the spirit of the front image.
To top it all off, I made a banner with snapshots from throughout the year, using a Photoshop clipping mask to create a collage that felt personal and nostalgic.
Creating this card was a reminder: sometimes, the best family moments come not from perfect planning but from a mix of creativity, comfort, and a little playful improvisation.
Here's the final printed on Pearl paper 5x7 via WHCC lab.
What do you think?