Holiday Cards!
I know this one's a little obvious, but that's all the more reason it needs to be included. After you get your family photos done, plan your holiday cards! There are quite a few places to design and print them — my mom frequently uses Shutterfly, Walgreens has a service where you can get them printed same-day, and I recently discovered that Pixieset (my gallery management service) offers a bunch of super cute designs that I might actually try myself this year.
A Full Family Photo x3
Whenever you get family photos done, my favorite life hack is to order a print of it for yourself that same week or so (in whatever size you are planning to display it), and then to order two more copies, usually a bit smaller (a 5x7 or 8x10 will do the trick!) and send one to your parents, and one to your partner's parents. You can send it with a frame the first time you do it, and then just keep sending the same size print every year to replace the old photo. This is a trick my own mom taught me, it makes them feel special and remembered and has the added bonus of making sure you have an updated family photo (that you look good in!) every time you visit parents or in-laws. And if you want to go the extra extra mile, you can also do this for your grandparents!
You and Your Partner
I'm a big believer in making sure I get photos with just me and my husband every year, no matter how many cute kids and dogs we have. If you do your family photos with me, there's a 100% chance that I made sure to get photos of just you and your partner too! I have a picture frame that I keep on our nightstand and try to update regularly with a photo of the two of us. For me, one of the main purposes of photography is to capture good memories and keep them visible as a reminder of what I love about my life, my family, and my partner. Making sure to keep a current photo of us in our room is one way I do that, and helps my husband know that I still love him and love being with him!
Individuals
Some families like to print out a mini gallery wall after their session and include an individual photo of each kid. Nice portraits can also go in kid's rooms, or miniatures can be sent to grandparents, put on the fridge, or tucked in your wallet. Don't forget to print out an individual of your partner to hang in a place of honor (i.e. on your computer/desk, in your car, or somewhere else you'll see it regularly) and an individual of yourself to write a cute note on and give to them. These ideas might seem a little silly, but they really do show your family that you notice and love them!
Family Photo Book
I actually recommend waiting to get this printed until Black Friday, because a ton of places offer great discounts on their photo books around that time of year. But something my family did every year growing up was create a family photo book that included all our adventures and fun photos from the year (including our family photos.) It's something we kept in our living room and that we all loved looking through, together or on our own. And it's a great way to capture memories from the year!
