Knitted sweaters, questionable Santas, and a sock-full of mandarins. Ah, Christmas. The only thing missing now is a photo that captures all of the chaos.
Awkward Family Photos is a friendly place online where everyone can come together and share their uncomfortable family moments. Mike Bender and Doug Chernack started the project by posting a few childhood photos of their own, and the site quickly took off and became an Internet sensation.
Bored Panda covered Awkward Family Photos some time ago but since the holiday season is just around the corner, let's not forget what matters at this time of year—laughing at yourself and your loved ones. Oh, and cherishing the memories you shared, of course.
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My Uncle, Comforting My Father After Breaking A Toy On Christmas Morning, 1969. That’s Brotherly Love
Bender said that holidays really do mean more awkward shots. "Families are more likely to get together and take photos," he told Bored Panda. "Plus, a lot of families have holiday traditions like dressing up in matching outfits which always leads to [even more] awkwardness."
But Bender said there are other occasions that produce these pictures too. Like birthdays. Someone will undoubtedly capture the kids in their most (you guessed it) awkward stages of life. And weddings. "You are bringing together not just one awkward family but two and generally, people are intoxicated and I don't think I have to explain how that can get weird," he pointed out. Lastly, he mentioned hospital delivery photos. The mothers never seem as enthusiastic about taking pictures as the dads!
We Were Taking Our Family Christmas Photo, And Let’s Just Say The Dogs Weren’t In A Holly Jolly Mood. This Photo Was The Worst Of The Batch, But Now It’s A Conversation Starter. We Keep It Right By The Entrance Of Our Home Here In St. Louis
"The pandemic has brought all families closer together. We're spending more time with each other and so we're also taking more photos. Also, we truly can't get away from our family when we're in quarantine so that ensures lots of awkward moments. As far as Christmas, we like to say it's the most awkward time of the year and the gift that keeps on giving."
The Only Baby Picture I Have. Why?
Being In A Family With Five Children, You Hardly Ever Get A Great Photo With All The Kids. 27 Years Later My Sister Decided We Should Reenact This Photo On The One Day A Year We All Get Together
Christmas 2009. We Went To The Mall To Take A Picture With Santa And Seemingly Nothing Went Wrong… My Son Didn’t Cry, The Line Was Manageable But Santa’s Attention Was Focused Elsewhere
My Boss, Who Has 6 Kids, Captured Every Sibling Dynamic Possible In One Photo
The Infamous Christmas Photo Shoot Of 1984. Dad’s Short-Shorts And High Socks Highlighted His Fashion-Forward Attitude And Athleticism; My Sister’s Cheerleading Perfection Revealed Her Vow To Never Look Bad In Any Photo- Ever, And My Single Jazz Hand Stance Complete This Awkward Family Christmas Card From Over 30 Years Ago
This Was The Picture That My Family Sent Out As Our Family Christmas Card Back In '91
This Is The Photo My Grandmother Sent Out As Her X-Mas Card In The Early 70s
She didn’t like my dad’s not-smiling face so she cut out one from a different picture, pasted it in place and sent it to the printers. Note the glue on my dad’s face where grandma had attempted to affix the smiling face before it shifted during printing. Still one of the funniest things ever sent to more than 200 friends and family
Merry Christmas From Your Friendly, Neighborhood Mall Goths, 2005
Our Aunt Helen Made These For The Three Of Us And While I Know She Worked Very Hard On Them, I Was Mortified. That’s Me On The Left. I’m Smiling But My Eyes Are Red From Crying Because I Didn’t Want To Wear It. The Compromise Was That I Didn’t Have To Wear The Bonnet. I Don’t Have Much Of A Fashion Sense But Even Then, At A Tender Young Age, I Knew This Was Wrong, Very Wrong
My Dad On Christmas Morning
My Memories Of Meeting Santa Are Fond Ones. I Came Across This Pic, However, And Was Startled By The Look On This Particular Santa’s Face. He Looks A Little Less Interested In What I Want For Christmas, And A Little More Interested In How I’d Taste In A Stew
Christmas Was Scary In Yugoslavia
My Dad Built This To Protect The Tree From The Cat
We Took The Kids To Take Pictures With Santa. Needless To Say We Were Shocked As We Scrolled Through The Photos And Saw Our Daughter’s Middle Finger Up With Her Head Turned And Smiling
We Were Trying To Create A Winter Wonderland Scene And Save Money By Shooting Our Own Picture. We Ended Up With Almost 90 Photos That All Looked Like This, So We Just Went With It And This Year I Got Actual Requests To Post This Card
Our Photographer Sent Us All The Images From Our Holiday Photo Session Including This One And I Love It
Mom, There’s A Reason There Wasn’t A Line To See This Santa…
The Moment My Mom Realized I Was Going To Be A Handful
I Tried To Get Some Christmas Card Photos With My Boys This Year. My 5 Year Old Was Not Having It And Refused To Cooperate (Look Under The Sign). But This One Took The Cake For Me Since The Baby Is Puking As Well
This Is The 2006 Christmas Card Photo That We Sent Out, With Our 6-Year-Old English Bulldog, Joan
This Is A Picture Of Me And My Dad At Christmas Time. Dad Was Smoking A Cigarette And Reading
This Is A Picture Of My Dad And Uncles Sitting With Santa. My Uncle Tex Is The Youngest Who Was Clearly A Bit Nervous
Uncle Tex must be really happy that this photo made it to the internet :/
The Year My Father Got My Mother A Hoover For Christmas, 1984
The appropriate reaction to your romantic partner gifting you a household appliance for XMAS lol. And yet I'm not opposed to receiving useful gifts (I'm now at an age where the thought of receiving a snazzy new Hoover genuinely excites me!) but maybe not at christmas...
My sister used to be that way but a few years ago, she said if her husband got her a Dyson she would parade it up and down the street. He did and she did!
Load More Replies...If the wife got a man some tools or a lawn mower, I don't think people would be talking about her being murdered for it.
Load More Replies...One of my favorite stories from my now deceased grandparents was of their first Christmas as a married couple in 1945. My grandfather got my grandmother a new pair of shoes, she stormed off in tears and locked herself in the bedroom, she only opened the door after he managed to coax the jeweler to open up special for him and bought her a ring. My grandfather never bought my grandmother anything but jewelry for any occasion after that first Christmas.
your grandpa has learned through experience it is the case to say it !! Love this story 👍
Load More Replies...My partner once got me a stand mixer for Xmas, but he knew I REALLY wanted it, and it would make me happy. It's a matter of knowing and communicating with them, I think.
It is a shame that being gifted items that make your life easier is a problem; especially for grown adults. Men get tools as well. This isn't something which is sexist, but it is a 1st World problem.
This is also an example of needing to know your significant other. Off the cuff you are correct, but if this was a gift she did not want, and she is mad about it, this is a breakdown of the relationship and an indicator of poor communication and understanding.
Load More Replies...That's what I thought - or at least, I wondered what was in the cup!
Load More Replies...Since the beginning of (Christmas) times mothers and wives have gotten household tools as if these were appropriate gifts. Follow Marilyn Monroe's song and buy your wife a diamond.
I actually love getting household appliances for Christmas (I've asked for them). I won't buy them for myself because I usually manage (or I'll get a cheap one). If someone gets me something I need to make things easier for me, I'll be extremely grateful and happy. I much prefer getting a vaccum that I'll use then something that will just collect dust.
Load More Replies...The "first Christmas" advice I gave to my new son-in-law-by-choice when he gave me some money to buy his new wife a gift at (now-long-gone) Service Merchandise was, "No, you may not gift her a crock-pot for Christmas. Get yourself in the car and go to the jewelry store."
This also happened in my household when I was a young child. Totally ruined my Christmas, but to be honest most of my childhood was pretty rough, but holidays were usually the worst. My mother just could never overlook her own wants to think what was best for the three children she had brought into the world. Little wonder we all had our problems ....
Obviously, she didn't plug it right in and try it out - not before a couple glasses of wine anyway.
I’m sure his intent was to make cleaning easier for his wife, but she was clearly not impressed with his gift.
Too bad Davor Jelacic isn't as perceptive as you are.
Load More Replies...I got my ex husband a hand held dyson for xmas once. And no, that's not why he is now an ex!
Back in the early 70s my Ex gave me a Kenmore Canister Vac. His mother worked at Sears, so he no doubt got a discount. Yes we needed it, but it was a crappy present!
If a woman got tools for her husband, I doubt people would be talking about him murdering her.
Load More Replies...If the wife had gotten the husband tools or a lawnmower, do you think there would be a divorce?
Load More Replies...Next chrismas she should buy him a plumbing or electricity tools lmao
I'm surprised his unconscious (or lifeless) body isn't lying near or beneath the vacuum...
If I'd been given a Hoover for any Christmas or Birthday - he'd be wearing it!
What an ugly spoiled brat ... probably a shitty homemaker anyway, which was likely her only function anyways. She has stuff everywhere (not organized because she sucks at keeping a tidy home) but this isn’t good enough for her?! I’m so sorry everyone in the household is stuck with such an awful person ... a sucky partner and a terrible role model.
She'll be over the disappointment by August next year . . . or not. . .
I guess maybe I'm just too practical - I would have LOVED a new vacuum for Christmas. I usually get kitchen stuff, because I love to cook - but a few years back I got a 50 pack of "Swiffer" duster heads. WIN!
First noticed the position of the Hoover - and then how "well" the floor and drapes match.
Going to take more than a Hoover to clean up all that - but its ALL worth IT!
Well, it actually was a pretty good gift...you can barely see any blood left on the floor
My husband gave me, which he wanted, a telephone with answering machine, which I did NOT want. I went shopping the next day.
Brings back a memory of Christmas in the '60's when my dad mistakenly gifted my mom a freaking toaster oven.
Where is everybody.? Is yer mom chasing yer dad around the block with a cleaver?
I guess it is better than teh chainsaw I got my wife for her birthday.
Love this pic. It has the quality to go in a very popular Gallery... very special!
My mother destroyed every photo from Christmas the year my dad thought the ultimate gift for her was a meat slicer. That was like 40 years ago and it was like a nuclear war.
This used to be the norm years ago. I guess it’s tacky but easy ideas for husbands to come up with...I myself love any kitchen appliance! 😄😄
My hubs bought me a giant industrial vacuum cleaner --- not a 'Hoover', which is a brand name that appears to have become a generic term for any vacuum cleaner. Anyway, I LOVED my giant machine because it sucked like a beast, and it laboured on and on for years until it fell down the stairs and broke irreparably :(
That is only true if the wife is as concerned about the husband's happiness as well. If it is only the husband concerned with making the wife happy, then the marriage obviously won't be happy for him since he is the one doing all the work.
Load More Replies...The "first Christmas" advice I gave to my new son-in-law-by-choice when he gave me some money to buy his new wife at (now-long-gone) Service Merchandise was, "No, you may not gift her a crock-pot for Christmas. Get yourself in the car and go to the jewelry store."
Oh, I don't know. For our 25th Anniversary, my husband bought me a $1000 Miele vacuum. I thought it was a wonderful gift., because he put a lot of research into getting the perfect one. Almost 20 years later I still have that thing and it is going strong.
Every Romanian Child's Christmas Summed Up In One Picture
My Sister And I Thought It Might Be A Good Idea To Have Our Kids’ Photos Taken As A Christmas Present For My Mom. With Two Hungry, Tired Newborn Babies And A Bored 3 Year Old, It Was Quite Possibly The Worst Day Of Our Lives. This Was The Best Pic We Could Get Of All Three Of Them
Just A Good Old Holiday Pic With An Innocent Little 4-Year-Old, A Creepy Santa And A Scantily Dressed Miss Piggy! Even More Disturbing, Why Does The Costume Even Have Those Body Parts Sewn On?!
This Is A Picture Of Me Around Age 3 Or 4, Meeting St. Nicolas Himself In Poland. This Would Explain My Fear Of Clowns
This Was Supposed To Be Our Christmas Card. It Turns Out She Just Hated That Sweater
My Boyfriend When He Was 3. The Ussr Was A Strange Time
there is a Russian Winnie the Pooh as well called Vinni Pukh vinni_pukh...d6bb08.jpg
Most Awkward Pajama Pics!
Our Awkward Family Swim Team Christmas Photo
I just noticed that they decorated the tree with all of their racing ribbons.
Me And My Parents, December 1992
Christmas In Frankfurt, Germany, 1998. My Grandma Knitted Sweaters For My Granddad, Cousin, Brother And Me
The Holidays Are The Cringiest Time Of The Year!
One Year Old Me, Santa In Furry Slippers And The Most Disturbing And Scary Befana Ever. Italy, 1996 (In Italy The Befana Is Supposed To Be An Old, Kind Woman Who Deliver Gifts To Kids On Epiphany Eve
This Photo Is From Azerbaijan Which Is Old Ussr Country. I Was 6 Years Old In This Last Day Of 1999. It Is Nice To See How East And West Meld In One Photograph
Christmas Sometime In The Early/Mid 90s And This Is Me And My Two Sisters. My Neighbor Worked For Marlboro Cigarettes And My Mother Decided That Since Their Company Sweatshirts Were Red, We Should All Wear Them For Our Christmas Pictures
So Many Amazing Things About This Picture. I Am The Beauty With The Middle Part Bangs Accompanied By My Life Size Barbie. My Mom Is Clearly Feeling What Every Mother On Christmas Feels While My Dad Is 90’s Fabulous
When I Was A Kid, My Mom, Who Is A Seamstress, Would Make Funky Gifts Every Year For Christmas. Sometime In The Late 80s, She Got Her Hands On Some Giant Men’s Underwear And Made Sports Bra’s Out Of Them. Hence, My Two Aunts And Grandma Modeling Them On Christmas Eve
My Husband's Coworker When She Was A Kid
Christmas Morning, And Everybody Except Young Tim (Middle) Gets A New Bike. We As Parents Should Have Anticipated The Reaction
The Santa Display Was Sad, And Santa Looks Even Sadder. I Found This Pic Of Me With Santa And Couldn’t Help But Notice The Surroundings And His Miserable Look
This looks like a pharmacy... I some how do not feel this was a legit Santa but some dude in Walgreens or CVS trying to get kids to sit on his lap...
I Refused To Sit On Its Lap
Me And Another Small Town Goth Going Dancing At A Winter Formal
My Brother And Me, Circa 1977, With The Credit Union Santa And His Creepy Bear Sidekick
This Picture Was Taken In About 1952. The Boy Sitting On The Lap Of ‘Santa’ Is My Husband’s Cousin, Teddy. ‘Santa’ Is ‘Uncle Bob’ Who Apparently Didn’t Notice That His Mask Was Melting Off. My Husband Thankfully Doesn’t Remember Any Of This. No Word If Little Teddy Ever Recovered From The Trauma
Christmas 1998. I'm The One Crying
My Mom Took My Brother, Sister And I To The Mall To Get A “Nice” Santa Photo Taken. When She Picked Up The Photo, She Was Outraged
Note: this post originally had 61 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
By the way, if your Christmas shopping isn't done yet, but you are running out of ideas, consider the latest book Awkward Family Photos which has just been released. It's an old school search-and-find puzzle for immature adults and makes the perfect stocking stuffer. It's also available anywhere in the world!
Thank Goodness I never took my kids to a Santa Photo. My Mom also had a good sense of what not to do also.
I invented the social distancing christmas in 1990, grandparents feet on the background. "Best gift ever i would stay in my bubble!" noel-90-5f...f2feab.jpg
Thank Goodness I never took my kids to a Santa Photo. My Mom also had a good sense of what not to do also.
I invented the social distancing christmas in 1990, grandparents feet on the background. "Best gift ever i would stay in my bubble!" noel-90-5f...f2feab.jpg