2018 Santa Claus mini sessions! | Frederick Maryland family photographer

Since opening my studio in downtown Frederick I’ve absolutely loved hosting these local Washington DC santa minis once a year. I wanted an opportunity to let children meet the one and only Santa Claus in a peaceful and beautiful space, without the madness and lines of the mall. I wanted to hear softly playing Christmas music in the background, with laughter and bells and candy canes and Christmas books. Kicking off the Christmas season with such sweet excited faces meeting Santa for both the first time, as well as the 10th for some kids, was magical.

I advised families to wear Christmas jammies if they wanted, or festive or neutral outfits to get into the holiday spirit. We saw Santa Claus read books to the kids, hand them candy canes, give high fives and lots of hugs. We had one girl bring an actual huge paper list (bigger than her!) and one family brought in their toy nutcracker to show Santa. We had kiddos from 6 weeks old up to 10 years old, and several of the older kids who visited told their parents upon leaving that they were on the fence about Santa before, but now they know this is the REAL Santa. That kind of magic made this holiday season so exciting and special for these families (and for myself!)

These Santa mini sessions turned out more beautiful than I had ever imagined, and totally kicked off my holiday spirit. There is something special about being in downtown Frederick over the holiday season with their twinkle lights, parades, carriage rides and hot cocoa stands, and this added to the season perfectly. I had some special gorgeous custom holiday card designs, framed prints, and custom handmade wood ornaments on display as well which were so pretty! Here are some sneak peeks of these two amazing days of santa minis – and I’m already getting creative on ideas for next year! Enjoy and happiest holiday from our family to yours!