Every year, my friend Sarah-Jane and I have the best Christmas card photos! No, we don’t spend a lot of money on the top photographer in town — we swap services and take each other’s family photos. (We always snag a picture together, too, as you can see above!)

Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, we get our families all gussied up, grab my Nikon camera, we each grab our own SD cards and find a scenic spot, somewhere downtown or near the park (so we can bribe our children to behave with the playground as a reward) and set out on the craziest 30-ish minutes of the year!

Either of us starts first – Last year, Sarah-Jane organized my people for a family photo, while her husband kept her three girls occupied and their white tights stain-free. Within 15 minutes (or less), we swapped! I arranged her family and snapped as many photos as I could while trying to keep everyone’s attention and while my husband was on kid-watch.

We are not professional photographers, but with the help of photo apps and top-notch printing services, every year we manage to come out with amazing family photos for our Christmas cards that don’t break the bank. Plus, it’s such a fun holiday memory! Our kids look forward to the chaos every year.  (see the pictures below)

Do you have a friend who you could swap services with? It’s worth the craziness, I promise!