Modern photographers often recreate the "Sears-style" family portraits of the past, dressing well-known "rocker" or cinematic characters—like the cast of Die Hard or The Griswolds —in festive finest for a retro holiday feel.
Subjects were dressed in their finest Sunday clothes, and photographers sometimes even painted eyes onto closed eyelids to make the subject appear "alive" for the camera.
Photographers used hidden stands or props like books to pose the deceased as if they were in a deep, peaceful sleep—a concept often called "eternal sleep".