Weekend With Santa Filled with Fun, Laughter, and Tears

Normally we head to the mall for Santa photos. But, this year I wanted to save some dough and take them myself.

Not only would we save money, we’d also save time. Last year we ended up going to two different malls. The first one was at least a couple hours wait. Ultimately, we went to another mall where we didn’t have to stand in line.

The photo came out okay, but I would have liked to take more pictures of decorations and whatnot. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I snap photos where ever and whenever possible.

Just a couple years ago, we practically took over JC Penny’s after being turned away from their photo studio. Thankfully, I brought my camera with me.

We were hoping for an intimate setting where we wouldn’t have to spend hours standing in line. Breakfast or brunch was an option. But after doing some research, I learned about do it yourself photos of Santa at the local nursery. There was also an opportunity to see live reindeer.

I wasn’t sure how Young O would do this time around. Last year he did well, but he’s hit or miss when it comes to taking pictures.

However, the minute he sat in Santa’s lap, Young O lost it. It was a funny moment. Santa’s expression was also priceless.

Daddy had to join in to help calm him down.

There are a lot of perks to taking your own Santa photos. For starters, the line went along quickly. Also, you use your own camera. So, you essentially keep every photo you take – even the bad ones make great photographs.

There’s usually an option to pay for a CD with all photos taken at the mall, but I find that to be a waste. As luck would have it, we received a CD with some other kid a couple years back. By the time we realized it, the Santa crew had already left for the season. We would have had to jump through hoops to get the correct one, so we took it as a loss.

Taking our own photos at the nursery ended up being fun for the kids. While my hubby waited in line with Young O, Grandma and I snapped a few photos of Princess in front of holiday displays.

I normally let Young O do his thing, follow him around and snap away. Kids at his age want to explore. You won’t get the best result when trying to get them to pose.