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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Our 2023 Holiday Portrait Sessions in Saratoga Springs

I always look forward to our holiday portrait event, and this year was no exception! Each year, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have so many families that come to the studio year after year for their holiday portraits! It’s always a joy getting to catch up with them and see how their kids have grown. Plus, it’s so much fun coming up with our setups each year! Honestly, I really do look forward to these holiday portrait sessions each winter. 

For this year, I wanted to create something really special! When I first saw these golden arches I knew that they would be incredibly versatile and that they would look gorgeous with garland & some sparkly ornaments. I love how this turned out! I think it’s such a classic holiday look. It was the perfect spot for kids to warm up to me and get ready for more portraits!

We always create two setups in the studio for families to have some variety in their holiday portraits, and you know I’m a big fan of neutrals because of how timeless they are. This year I found the perfect stockings with little pearl accents, and I love the simple & luxurious touch that they added to our setup alongside my simple Christmas tree. 

To every family that came to celebrate the holidays with me this year, thank you! It was so special to have you in the studio and I hope you have a wonderful season with your loved ones! 

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Our Santa Experience - Holiday Photo Sessions at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio

This was our first year doing Santa sessions in the studio and I had a blast creating a dream experience for every family that came in the door. It was important to me to create a magical Santa Experience for each family - from the moment they arrived to their goodbyes. I’ve never taken on Santa sessions but I’m so glad that we’ve finally broken the seal on this incredible holiday adventure in our Saratoga Springs studio! 

To create a magical Santa experience, I wanted to bring in unique elements leading up to their session date. Each child received a personalized letter from Santa the week of their session, complete with a certified North Pole stamp and a wax seal on the gold-lined envelope. Their letter invited them to the studio to help Santa finish making some toys that the elves forgot to finish. It was so cute and every little one loved it! 

Upon arriving, I wanted to make sure families and children had time to warm up to Santa. I didn’t want anyone to feel rushed. Instead, the kids had plenty of time to discover that Santa was in the studio, warm up to him, ask him questions, find their name on the nice list, help him with the toys, sing songs, and more. It was a beautiful chance to watch interactions unfold naturally. 

My absolute favorite part was seeing the pure magic and innocence on children’s faces. I loved watching their expressions light up when they saw Santa, how they were filled with joy when they saw their names on the Nice List or when they discovered that the “magic paint” on the nutcrackers really worked. The wonder when they sang “Jingle Bells” or “ho-ho-ho-ed” and Santa appeared behind them out of nowhere was special, too. It was incredible.

Thank you to every family who visited my studio to help make these magical sessions possible this winter. I’m so in love with how they turned out and I hope it’s not the last time Santa visits the NSP studio!

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