Creating Holiday Magic: A Studio Portrait Experience with Santa Claus

The holiday season is such a wonderful and special time for me personally. I love being the magic maker in my family, and getting to extend that to my clients is such an honor, and one that I don’t take lightly! This year, for the second time, we welcomed Santa Claus to the studio for our annual portrait event! I absolutely adored having the big guy with us and truly enjoyed watching all of the little ones interact with this magical fellow.

Part of our Santa experience extended beyond the studio doors. The children each received letters from Santa and I loved being the one to create and seal them with the official “Santa Claus” wax seal. I can only imagine the absolute magic it created for our little guests. In the studio, I set to gathering everything for the gift bags, planning the cookies with Saratoga’s talented cookie artist, Kelly from Cookie Tastic and planning just the right tasks and activities and prompts for the kids to fully enjoy their visit with Santa Claus. It was important to me that this experience was more than just a chance for a photo with Santa. The portrait experience is about so much more!

This year the children helped Santa Claus polish his sleigh bells so that the reindeer could wear them on Christmas Eve. They read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and found their names on the Nice List scroll. The children also looked inside his official leatherbound book (where they were written in magical ink that only Santa and the elves can see!). Beyond that, each child had the chance to sing and laugh with Santa, too. It was so special to watch each interaction unfold right in front of our eyes. One of my other favorite parts was that each child received an official “Santa’s Helper Certificate” after helping Santa get everything ready. It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I loved seeing all of the families that joined us at the studio for this event.

Thank you to the following Saratoga Springs businesses who helped bring this magical holiday experience to life:

Cookies: Cookie Tastic
Garland: Journey Decor
Santa: Wilton Santa John

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What makes our Santa Experience Stand Out: Saratoga Springs Holiday and Santa Photo Sessions

I can’t believe it’s already time to start talking about our Santa experience, but at the same time, I can’t complain at all… I LOVE Christmastime! Over the last few years, I’ve worked so hard behind the scenes to create a truly magical and special Santa experience in my Saratoga Springs studio. As a mom, this time of year has also been special in my personal life and watching the magic come to life in my own two children’s eyes is more meaningful than anything else. Honestly, it’s the reason I love our Santa sessions so much!  We truly are bringing that magic to life, and watching kids' faces light up with joy and wonder. There’s nothing else like it! 

Today, I wanted to talk about what makes our Santa experience so special each year. Part of making magic is about creating a full experience - that starts before your family ever steps foot inside my Saratoga Springs studio. Here’s what happens:

The week leading up to the session they receive a letter in the mail from Santa Claus. That letter is addressed to your child inviting them to come and meet Santa. The elves make sure to use special North Pole stationary and stamps, finished off with a hand-poured wax seal. This sets the tone for an unforgettable experience for your child. 

Last year they were invited to the studio to help Santa finish painting nutcrackers that the elves forgot to finish. The kids had a blast using magic paint that appeared in their favorite colors! It was incredible to watch them light up as they worked alongside the big guy! Many of our little ones also wanted to sing carols with Santa and tell him some jokes! 

While sitting with Santa, each child has the chance to help check the Nice List - you can never be too careful, right? Watching the wonder in their eyes when they found their name on the Nice List was amazing! 

Of course, each child will also have the chance to share their wish list or letter to Santa with him. I don’t know if there’s any moment more meaningful than that to me as a parent! 

My own son decided all by himself he needed to bake Santa cookies last year, and he brought him homemade cookies to share! He even wanted to give Santa a gift, and he picked out a chocolate orange (his favorite thing to receive in his stocking every Christmas) and gave it to Santa because he thought he would like to receive one, too. I love that the interactions we create with this Santa experience are so personal and relaxed. It’s really about your child and what they want or need at the moment. 

I know that planning holiday sessions can be stressful for parents. They never know how their child will react and they worry it will impact the session. Perhaps the biggest concern: Will they cry? Here’s the truth: Some kids might. But honestly, most do not! 

Last year my daughter (age 1.5) was the only child all day who shed a tear all day, and that was likely because she just wanted to be with mommy who was shooting the session! I have a whole workflow planned out to capture happy photographs before the kids even spot Santa Claus in the room, and then we move through some more portraits together using songs, toys, and distraction to keep little ones happy who might otherwise be afraid. Santa has years of experience with little ones, and we employ endless patience to create the most adorable portraits of your children and to give them a beautiful, happy experience with Santa.

I promise you, creating a magical experience for your little one is the most important thing to me. I want them to remember these special moments for many holidays to come - and that comes from creating a positive and inspired environment where they can be who they want to be - all while visiting with Santa!

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