Editors' Photo Challenge: ‘Happy Holidays’

Our December Editors' Photo Challenge theme was 'Happy Holidays': we asked you to show us what the end-of-the-year holiday season looks like through your lens. And you certainly focused on the festive spirit, capturing heartwarming moments and scenes filled with holiday cheer. From twinkling lights and decorated trees to snowy landscapes, your photos truly captured the essence of the holiday season.

Did you miss this challenge? Stay tuned for our January challenge announcement! In the meantime, consider participating in these current and upcoming challenges hosted by other members of the DPReview community:

Open challenges

• Underwater photography (closes Dec. 16)
• DPReview | Your best photo of 2024 (closes Dec. 16)
• Repitition (closes Dec. 20)

Upcoming challenges

• A Big Year 2024 (starts Dec. 16)
• Crepuscular rays (God rays) (starts Dec. 17)
• Colourful landscape in portrait mode (starts Dec. 21)

Drumroll, please! Here are our top picks from the December Editors' Photo Challenge.

Window shopping

Photographer: morelens

Description: Window shopping in Beacon, NY, a small town on the Hudson River in NY State.

Equipment: Canon EOS R + unspecified 35mm lens

New Year's Eve, Mt. Hood, Oregon

Photographer: rainrunner

Description: New Year's Eve at Mt Hood, Oregon, each year, if weather permits, we snow camp on New Year's Eve and watch the fireworks show at Timberline Lodge.

Equipment: Sony a7 IV + Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD

Christmas card

Photographer: Aleksei Syrkin

Description: A little surprise for my wife, reflecting our life at that time and the atmosphere in the house.

Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II + Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM

Winter wonderland

Photographer: Managarm

Description: My winter holiday tradition is taking long walks through the snowy landscape. Nothing brings me happier moments than a cool breeze of air and the sparkling snow in the woods.

Equipment: Ricoh GR IIIx

Ho! Ho! Happy holiday little fella

Photographer: Hooyat

Description: The boy was watching children lining up to take pictures with Santa Claus. Santa noticed the boy was watching him for quite a while. He was alone with his mom. Santa came over, peeked around the fence, and told them he would take a picture with the boy... free of charge and ahead of the queue. Happy holiday.

Equipment: Nikon Z6 II +Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S

The list

Photographer: jaberg

Description: I think this is the "nice" list, but one can never be sure. This is part of the American Swedish Institute's 2024 Holiday Experience, Tomte: The Myth, The Gnome, The Legend.

Equipment: Fujifilm X100V + Fujifilm WCL-X100 II

Winter in Winterland

Photographer: Viking60

Description: The capital city of Norway, Oslo, is already illuminated with lights indicating the upcoming arrival of Christmas.

Equipment: Leica SL2-S + TTartisan 50mm F0.95

Christmas light!

Photographer: Jerodum

Description: A traditional Christmas village in France.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T5 + Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN | C

A round world

Photographer: xenofon

Description: This ball was up on the tree, at a height of 10 m (or more). As a result, the whole square, the fountain, even the parliament in the background, are all depicted in the ball in a spectacular and unique way.

Equipment: Canon EOS R10 + unspecified lens

New Year in the Rockies

Photographer: etrautmann

Description: Long exposure at a remote cabin near Aspen, CO, just after the New Year in 2022.

Equipment: Sony a7R IV + Sony FE 20mm F1.8G