Holidays are special times full of memories you will want to capture.  To make better photos, try some of these ideas.

Don’t make your subjects pose.  Many people feel uncomfortable in a posed photo, and it shows.  Candid shots are almost always better.

Tell a story.  Show the kids tearing open the presents and playing with them, or guests at your party interacting with each other.  A shot that tells a story will be remembered and cherished.  A posed shot of someone staring into the camera will be quickly forgotten. 

Get on the child’s level.  Instead of standing or sitting and snapping away, try kneeling to get on the child’s level as they are playing or tearing open presents.  You will usually get better photos from this angle.

Don’t be afraid of natural light.  A flash is often the default lighting answer for beginning photographers when shooting indoors, but it is rarely flattering.  Natural light will allow Christmas tree lights to show up, while a flash will usually overpower the lights, making it difficult to see they are lit.

Test the light.  If you are shooting without a flash, take a couple of test shots before the action starts to fine tune your exposure.

If you must use a flash, I recommend having an external flash that mounts on the top (hot shoe) of the camera.  This can bounce light off the ceiling to give a more flattering light than a typical pop-up flash found on most cameras.