Chances are you'll want to mail out your photo Christmas cards before December. This means having a photo done sometime in November. And unless you're having that photo done by a studio, you'll need to set up the background and props yourself. So how do you do this so early in the season? Even if you do lavishly decorate for Christmas, chances are you won't want to do so before Thanksgiving has arrived. Many people use a rather smart trick for getting a great Christmas background on their photo Christmas cards, without pulling out the decorations before the holiday season has even started!
If you want a holiday background but don't want to put up the decorations to get it, go to the mall. Large department stores begin putting out extravagant decorations for the Christmas season as early as before Halloween, so you'll have ample opportunity to get a few great shots, without cracking open the boxes containing your decorations before Halloween has arrived. The lavish holiday backdrops that many stores in the mall put out are perfect for backgrounds for your photo Christmas cards!