Pet Christmas Card: How to Make One Starring Your Pet

Last updated: December 2025

Why is a pet Christmas card worth making, even on Christmas Eve?

If your dog or cat is the one who gets the most attention when people visit, you are not alone. Shutterfly, which says it produces more than 180 million holiday cards a season, reports that about 11% of its holiday cards feature the family pet, while only about 3% showcase a new baby. In Vermont, nearly 16% of Shutterfly cards have a pet on them. Pets are not a novelty on holiday cards anymore. For a lot of households, they are the main event.

The bad news, if you are reading this on December 24, is that most people plan these cards weeks ahead. Shutterfly says the bulk of its holiday card orders land the week of Cyber Monday, with the first spike of the season around Veterans Day. The good news is that a pet Christmas card does not have to be a stack of folded cardstock in the mail. A single warm photo of your dog in a scarf, sent by text with a two-line greeting, still lands on Christmas morning. So does a short video card or a cartoon version of your cat in a Santa hat.

This guide is built for that last-minute window. You will find photo tips that work with a phone and a bag of treats, safe prop ideas, wording you can copy, an honest look at digital versus printed cards, and the quickest ways to send a card by text tonight. If you also want to give something more lasting after the holidays, our roundup of personalized gifts for pet lovers has ideas that star the recipient’s own pet.

How do you take a good holiday photo of your dog or cat?

You do not need a professional camera. You need decent light, a calm pet, a way to get their attention and a lot of shots. Here is the routine pet photographers keep coming back to.

Find the window. Canon’s pet photography guide recommends a room with large windows, because natural light is soft and fills in shadows, while a flash may spook your animal. Its holiday setup is simple: face your pet toward the window, with the tree and lights behind them. Parade Pets, summarizing advice from several pet photographers, adds that early mornings and late afternoons beat harsh midday light for outdoor shots.

Get on their level. Mark Condon, a professional photographer and founder of Shotkit, told Parade that pets respond to body language and tone, and he suggests crouching to their eye level, speaking gently and offering affection. For cats, he says, less is more: let them dictate the pace, ideally near a favorite perch or blanket. Photographer Beth Nicholls, writing for Digital Camera World, found her older golden retriever much easier to keep engaged when she got down to the dog’s position and gave treats between frames.

Use a helper and a noise. Have someone stand right behind you and call your pet’s name, or hold a treat or squeaky toy beside the lens. Laurel Smith, founder of Laurel Smith Photography, told Parade that a helper can gently place a cat into position with a treat or toy, while dogs respond best to verbal cues they already know.

Shoot in bursts. Pets give you a perfect expression for about half a second. Apple’s iPhone guide explains that you drag the shutter button toward the photo thumbnail to fire off photos in rapid succession, then pick the keepers from the burst. MacRumors puts the rate at ten frames per second. On many phones a Live Photo or motion photo option also lets you choose a frame afterward.

“Take multiple photos quickly or take a live photo to get their optimal expression.”

Bob Mackowski, founder, Open Aperture Photography, Parade Pets

Which holiday props are safe for pets in photos?

The safest prop is the one your pet barely notices. A plain holiday bandana, a soft knit scarf, a wrapped empty box or a blanket in front of the tree can say “Christmas” without anything your pet can chew, swallow or tangle in.

Skip tinsel completely. The ASPCA warns that cats love tinsel because it is sparkly and easy to carry in their mouths, but swallowing it can cause an obstructed digestive tract, severe vomiting, dehydration and possibly surgery. The AVMA adds ribbons and wreath materials to the same list, warns that breakable ornaments can cause injuries, and notes that pets can be burned by chewing on light cords. If you want twinkle lights in the background, keep them behind your pet and out of reach, not draped on them.

Costumes need the same judgment. Dr. Rachel Malamed, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, told the AKC not to dress your pet unless you are sure they will be thrilled, because some dogs are fearful of being handled or sensitive to clothing. AKC Chief Veterinarian Dr. Jerry Klein advises Velcro fastenings rather than buttons, drawstrings or elastic, no dangling parts that can be chewed, and never leaving a pet alone in an outfit. Our guide on dressing up your pet without stressing them out covers the warning signs to watch for.

One more thing to watch on Christmas Eve: the door. The AVMA notes that while you are welcoming guests and collecting coats, a pet can slip out and become lost, and that ID tags and a registered microchip are what reunite families.

What should a pet Christmas card say?

The photo does most of the work, so the words should be short. Think one headline and one line of greeting, signed by everyone in the house, pets included. A good pet card sounds like your pet, not like a store-bought verse.

Start with the headline. Puns are the classic move, and they read well in a text message because people see them in a split second. For dogs, try “Merry Christmas from our good boy,” “Have a howling good holiday,” “Sleigh all day” or “Yappy holidays.” For cats, try “Meowy Christmas,” “Fa la la la la, la la la meh,” “Season’s greetings from the tree inspector” or “Nothing to see here, just guarding the presents.” If your pet is a senior, something gentle like “Twelve Christmases and counting” is lovely and personal.

Then add a single sentence that only your family could write. Mention something real from the year: the new puppy who ate one shoe, the cat who finally made friends with the dog, the first Christmas in a new house, the hike your dog still talks about with their tail. A specific detail is what makes people save a card instead of scrolling past it. If you are sending to someone who does not know your pet well, a quick introduction works too: “Meet Biscuit, the newest member of our family, who would like you to know he has been very good this year (mostly).”

Sign it from the pet. A card “from Luna and her humans” or “love, Max, Pepper and the people who feed them” is the detail that makes recipients smile. In multi-pet homes, list everyone, even the cat who refused to be in the photo, and consider a line like “Not pictured: Oliver, who declined.” Our guide to multi-pet household tips has more on keeping the peace when everyone wants the spotlight.

Match the greeting to the person. Not everyone on your list celebrates Christmas, so “Happy holidays” or “Warm wishes for the new year” keeps a card welcoming for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and everyone in between. For coworkers or neighbors, keep it light and skip the inside jokes. For grandparents, add a little more: a line about how big the puppy got, or that the old dog is still stealing socks.

Finally, think about layout ideas that work for a last-minute card. A single close-up portrait with a headline across the top is the simplest. A two-photo “expectation versus reality” card, one composed shot and one blooper where the dog is licking the camera, is funny and honest. A collage of the year in four photos is great for people you only hear from once a year. A tiny video card with your pet’s head tilt in slow motion works for anyone who loves a moment of joy on their phone. Pick one idea, write two lines, and stop editing. A card that goes out tonight beats a perfect card that never gets sent.

When you finish, read it out loud once. If it sounds like something you would actually say to that person, it is ready. If it sounds like a greeting card aisle, cut a line.

Should you send a digital or printed pet Christmas card this late?

On December 24, digital wins on timing almost every time. USPS recommended mailing First-Class cards by December 17 for expected delivery before Christmas in the lower 48 states, and post offices close on Christmas Day. Printed cards can still happen, though, if you treat them as a New Year’s greeting or pick them up in a store today.

Walgreens says 4×8 and 5×7 photo cards can be ordered for in-store pickup in as little as one hour at many locations. Its mail orders print in one to two business days and typically arrive in three to five business days by First-Class Mail, and photo cards ship to a single address, so you still have to address and mail them yourself. Here is how the main options compare.

How do you send a digital Christmas card by text?

A digital card is just a photo, image or short video with a message, so your phone already has everything you need. The trick is sending it in a way that looks intentional rather than like a random camera roll dump.

First, pick one hero image. Crop it square or vertical, which displays well in message threads, and make sure your pet’s eyes are sharp. If you shot a burst, choose the frame with ears up and mouth closed or a happy open-mouth grin, not the mid-blink one.

Second, put the greeting in the message itself, right under the image, so it shows even if the image is slow to load. Keep it to the headline and one sentence you wrote earlier.

Third, decide between a group text and individual texts. Group texts are fast, but replies can flood everyone’s phone on Christmas morning. For close family, send individually and add the person’s name. For a wider list, consider a few smaller groups, such as “cousins” and “work friends,” so replies stay manageable.

Fourth, use your phone’s share sheet. From your photo app or the app where you made the card, tap Share and choose Messages, WhatsApp or email. Keep video cards short so they are quick to send and quick to watch.

If you want to make the card into a short video with music instead of a still image, our guide on how to make a video of your pet with music walks through free options. And if your favorite holiday photo is too good to bury in a thread, set it as your lock screen with our pet phone wallpaper guide.

How can the Lohji app turn your pet into a holiday card?

If your real photos came out blurry, or your cat refused to cooperate, a cartoon card is a fun way around it. The Lohji app, made by Shiloh’s House, turns one clear photo of your pet into a 3D animated-movie-style cartoon character called your Base Lohji. From that character, Lohji Studio can make a lot of card-ready pieces. The app is free to download with in-app purchases on the App Store and Google Play.

Holiday stickers. The sticker library has 191 designs, including 43 seasonal stickers for occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve, plus 42 expressions such as LOL, Miss You and ILY. Stickers save as transparent PNGs, and the app shows how to add them in iMessage. A Christmas sticker of your pet dropped into a family thread is a card in itself.

Square images and wallpapers. Pick from more than 200 scene themes across 10 theme packs, or tap Surprise Me, to make a 1:1 image that works as the front of a digital card. The same character can become a phone wallpaper, a watch face or a collector card. Our walkthrough on making a trading card of your pet shows that one in detail.

A free video card. The Slideshow feature is free, adds generated music in playful, dreamy or chill styles, and exports as an MP4 movie you can text to anyone.

When a creation is ready, save it to Photos or send it straight from the native share sheet. Share links keep full quality.

Celebrating Hanukkah too? The same seasonal sticker set includes a Hanukkah design, and our guide to Hanukkah with pets pairs greeting ideas with menorah and holiday food safety.

Want a sharper photo for the card in the first place? Our guide on how to take good photos of your pet covers eye-level framing, window light, burst mode and how to expose a black or white pet correctly with a phone.

Frequently asked questions