It doesn't have to be this way. The holidays are a perfect excuse to practice creative photography. With a house full of activity and a unique cast of characters, it's a great time to try to take a holiday photograph you'll cherish for years.

Engage your subject
If you look at enough holiday photographs, you might notice a pattern: there will almost always be a group of people, lots of forced smiles, and some traditional holiday item — a tree, a menorah, a pumpkin, or maybe a turkey.

Instead of taking a busy group shot, try focusing on individual family members, especially if they are doing something festive. Busy backgrounds (ones packed with lots of stuff, or lots of activity) are distracting, and make it harder to spot the subject. Instead of wide-angle shots of people sitting around a table, get close to your subject, and use your zoom to capture their expressions and their actions. Take a close-up picture of someone stringing lights on the tree, or the expression on someone's face as they open a present.

Choose your background
Obviously your photos will have to have a background, and there's nothing wrong with choosing something holiday related, but it's better to have a simple background that still says "holiday" than to randomly pose family members in front of a wall. Look at your background and see if there are distracting elements — a television, a large window that reflects a bright flash from a strobe, a wall full of large photographs — and try to arrange your subjects in such a way as to reduce those distractions.

Sometimes it's better to think of fresh ways to set up your shots — outside in the fall foliage, for example, or in a horse-drawn carriage or a sleigh. You can spice up the fall holidays with a little apple picking or use the colorful bursts of a Fourth of July celebration for a summertime shot and suddenly you've got the perfect background for your family portraits.

Lighting your subject
The flash built into compact digital cameras is only meant to throw light on a subject that's just a few feet away. In a lot of shots (especially when you're trying to get far enough away to get everyone in) the subjects can be much farther than the flash can reach. Pictures without enough flash tend to look washed-out and too dark, and many important details are lost.

Adding other sources of light will not only make your picture brighter but more interesting as well. And what better time than the holidays to find lots of alternate light sources! Try posing family members near a tree decorated with bright holiday lights, or snap a picture while they're lighting candles. The glow from a set of candles or string of lights can cast a nice, warm effect, as the light and shadows play across the faces of your subjects.

Get a little closer
Think about some of your favorite photographs of people. What makes them so appealing? Often the best photographs of people really say something about the subject's personality. Many portrait photographers prefer to take pictures of people they know, because they can use the familiarity with the subject to take a great picture. Many people get nervous with a camera around, but having a picture taken by a friend or family member can really help put them at ease.

A nice portrait during the holidays makes a great memento, which can also make a wonderful present. To take a great portrait shot, take a picture of a family member or friend doing something they love doing. If they like to cook, take a picture of them making the Thanksgiving meal. If they enjoy getting into costume, take a shot of them at Halloween.

Don't be afraid to get close to your subject and take lots of pictures. A good picture of someone in action makes for a wonderful portrait, and the more pictures you take, the better your chances of getting exactly the image you want.

Take lots of pictures
One of the joys of digital photography is that you can take plenty of pictures, and delete the ones you don't like. It's always better to take too many pictures than to take too few, and this is especially true during the holidays. When opening presents, welcoming distant family members, or laughing at old home movies, people tend to relax and become more natural. Candid shots of people enjoying themselves are almost always more enjoyable than those awkward posed pictures.

When it comes to taking pictures, there might be no better time than the holidays. Don't be afraid to try lots of new approaches. And remember that a nice picture makes a great gift, so the more you take this year, the better your presents may be next year.