- 10-minute Santa experience and photography session
- November 7–8, 2026
- Sessions from 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- Online gallery with 10 included photographs
- Option to purchase holiday photo gifts
- Detailed Santa Mini Session planning guide
- Optional styling consultation with Christine
what’s included
Santa Minis take place at the Mt. Ida Inn in Ellicott City, Maryland, in early November. Each 10-minute session is designed around the children, giving them time to settle in, meet Santa, share their wish lists, and take photographs together. Parents are welcome to join for a family portrait at the end.
Your gallery includes 10 photographs, with the option to order holiday photo gifts for grandparents, your home, and everyone else on the nice list.
SANTA
MINI SESSION
everything you need to know about your
$500
Think: the whole family with Santa or a few final children-first portraits.
Parents are welcome to step in for a final family portrait with Santa. Prefer to keep the session focused on the children? We’ll use those last minutes for a few more photographs of them together.
PARENTS,
YOU’RE UP
MINUTES 8–10
Think: first reactions, conversations, wish lists, individual time, and siblings with Santa.
Santa makes his entrance and gives the children time to react and get acquainted. He’ll spend time with each child, listen to their wish lists, and then gather everyone for photographs together.
SANTA
ARRIVES
MINUTES 3–8
Think: baby alone, hands and feet, expressions, swaddled and gently posed portraits
We’ll begin by photographing the children before Santa arrives. This gives them time to explore the set, get comfortable with me, and create classic Christmas portraits both individually and together.
JUST THE
CHILDREN
MINUTES 0–3
Santa Minis move quickly, but never chaotically. Each part of your 10-minute session is designed to help your children settle in, enjoy their time with Santa, and leave you with a varied gallery of polished portraits and genuine interactions.
HOW YOUR SESSION UNFOLDS
TEN MINUTES
thoughtfully PLANNED
Ten minutes may be brief, but it leaves room for much more than a single Santa portrait. Explore a complete session to see the expressions, individual photographs, Santa interactions, and family portrait we can create together.
You may need to use an email to view the gallery.
See what 10 minutes
with Santa looks like.
Locations
Sunday Nov 8
Meet Santa Jeff on
Santa Jeff
Saturday Nov 7
Meet Santa Dennis on
Santa Dennis
Choose your Santa
A santa for all
SANTA MINI SESSIONS · ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND
$500
Santa Minis return to Ellicott City each November. Join the VIP list to be among the first to receive next year’s dates, session details, and booking link.
JOIN THE VIP LIST
Santa keeps a list. So do I.
- 10-minute children-first Santa experience
- 10 included finished photographs
- Private online gallery delivered within two weeks
- Santa Mini Session planning guide
- Optional styling consultation
- Option to purchase holiday photo gifts
What to expecct:
Yes. Your gallery will include the option to order holiday photo gifts for grandparents, your home, and everyone else on your list.
Will holiday photo gifts be available?
Please arrive fully dressed and ready at least 15 minutes early. Follow the signs to the holding room so each family has private time with Santa. Sessions run consecutively, so arriving late will shorten your time with Santa and the session cannot be extended.
How early should we arrive?
You’ll receive a Santa Mini Session planning guide and access to my curated Pinterest board. I’m also happy to provide an optional styling consultation if you’d like a second opinion on your outfits.
What should we wear?
Yes. The final two minutes are reserved for parents who would like to join their children for a family portrait with Santa. The session is primarily designed around the children and their experience with Santa.
Can parents be in the photographs?
The first three minutes take place before Santa enters, giving your child time to settle in. Once he arrives, we’ll follow your child’s lead. No one will be required to sit on Santa’s lap or forced into a particular pose. Toddler parents should be prepared to join the photo to help toddlers feel comfortable with Santa.
What if my child is nervous around Santa?
Santa Minis are designed for infants and children from one immediate family. Each child will have time with Santa individually, followed by photographs of all the children together.
Who can book a Santa Mini Session?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I photograph families with a blend of refined portraiture and honest, documentary moments, stepping in with thoughtful direction when it helps and leaving room for personalities and relationships to unfold naturally.
As a mother myself, I know meeting Santa can bring big excitement, sudden shyness, or both within the same minute. I work quickly, read personalities, and adjust as we go, whether that means giving an eager child room to chatter, helping a cautious one warm up, or recognizing when we already have the photograph. Your child never needs to perform for the camera for me to create something meaningful.
MARYLAND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | EDITORIAL PORTRAITURE & DOCUMENTARY MOMENTS
meet Christine
Mini Session dates are released to my email list first, giving you early access to booking before they’re announced publicly. For limited seasonal windows like cherry blossoms, lavender, and Christmas, that means first choice of dates and the most sought-after session times.
JOIN THE MINI SESSION VIP LIST
See you next season.
