What the Santa Paws Christmas pet portrait looks like
Santa Paws is painted in a warm, oil-style finish: deep reds and evergreen greens, golden highlights on the fur and a decorated tree glowing in the background. The tree lights are softly out of focus, so your pet stays the sharp, clear center of the picture.
The hat is painted to sit naturally on your pet's head, with the fur trim framing the face. Everything is painted around the features from your photo, so the result reads as a holiday painting of your pet rather than a stock dog in a costume.
Of all our Christmas styles, this one has the most traditional holiday mood. It feels at home with red plaid, brass candlesticks and a real tree.
Pets who were born to wear the hat
Every pet looks good in a Santa hat, but a few personalities make this style sing. Golden Retrievers, Labs and Cavaliers have warm, sweet expressions that glow in firelight. Small dogs with big eyes, like Chihuahuas, Yorkies and Shih Tzus, look delightfully serious under all that red. And a cat wearing a Santa hat with total dignity is a holiday joke that never gets old.
- The dog who guards the presents from Thanksgiving onward
- The cat who naps on the tree skirt every single year
- A senior pet whose gray muzzle looks beautiful in warm light
- Your first Christmas with a new puppy, kitten or rescue
Photo tips for a Santa hat portrait
The hat sits on top of the head, so choose a photo where the whole head and both ears are in the frame, with a little space above. Daylight from a window gives true fur colors; the warm Christmas glow is added in the painting, so you don't need to take the photo next to the tree. Shoot at your pet's eye level and tap to focus on the eyes.
Skip photos where your pet is already wearing a hat, antlers or a bandana, since the costume is painted for you. If you have a few good options, upload one and then try another: the preview is free and you can redo it as often as you like. Our photo guide has more tips.
Where Santa Paws looks best
Santa Paws lives in our Christmas Pet Portrait: a $29.99 digital download, an art print on 189 gsm matte paper from $39.99, or a canvas hand-stretched on 1.25-inch pine bars from $89.99, in sizes from 8×10 up to 24×36 inches. Add a solid wood frame and it arrives ready to hang.
A 12×16 or 16×20 canvas over the mantel or above the entry table becomes part of your holiday decorating every year. Santa Paws is also offered on a mug for morning hot cocoa, a 3-inch acrylic ornament, a cozy sherpa blanket, a throw pillow and pet face socks, plus t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies for the family Christmas photo.
A Christmas gift that gets opened first
Santa Paws is a favorite for parents and grandparents who treat the dog like a grandchild, and for the friend whose holiday card always stars her cat. Add a second line under the name, such as the year or "First Christmas", and it becomes a yearly keepsake. Browse more ideas in our Christmas pet gifts and Christmas gifts for dog lovers.
Order by December 10 for delivery before Christmas in the continental US. Choose Santa Paws, upload your photo and see a free preview in seconds. You only pay when you love it.
