Our Christmas gift came a few months early this year, but the lights of the holiday season provided the the perfect excuse for some fun and creative portraits of our three-month old Kiana! (Click on the images below to see larger versions).

Baby in a santa hat and red pajamas wrapped in holiday Christmas lights with beautiful soft lighting.

Who can resist a cute baby wearing a Santa hat and red sleeper all wrapped up in festive lights? I know I couldn’t! But a word of caution here – many people don’t know that the wires surrounding your beautiful and common Christmas lights are often made of lead. Lead poisoning is usually caused by exposure over time, so the risk to your little one from handling a set of holiday lights is very small. But no amount of lead is safe for any child, so it’s important to use caution when your kids are helping to decorate the Christmas tree. Avoid exposure as much as possible, be sure to wash hands soon after use, and *definitely* don’t let them stick the lights in their mouths. (Christmas lights are an electrical appliance, after all, and not a toy!). So take a lot of care if you or your photographer photographs your baby with Christmas lights. No picture is worth a sick child!

Baby with holiday lights and Christmas tree bulbs with beautiful bokeh.

And Christmas lights don’t need to be wrapped around your baby to show off their holiday cheer! Christmas lights make a great backdrop for children’s portraits too!

Baby sitting with Christmas tree bulb with holiday lights and bokeh.

Portrait of baby sitting with Christmas tree bulbs and holiday lights pictured in the background.

Happy Holidays, from our family to yours!

Family portrait and holiday card with mom, dad and baby at Christmas with Santa hats.

Portrait of baby sitting on Santa Clause lap picture on family holiday card.