Tips For Rad Santa Pictures
I’ve been taking B to the mall a lot lately to get ready for Santa. We walk by him, wave, and talk about how he’ll soon get to sit on his lap and ask him to bring him cho chos for Christmas. Last year we got the most amazing picture with Santa (and I’m so bummed because I can’t find it to post here! It’s still packed away in a box somewhere.). We waited for an hour and a half because I’m lame and waited until 2 days before Christmas to go. Bad Mommy! But, he totally went to Santa sat on his lap and gave a huge smile! I was so excited. Now, it was totally luck of the draw. B had no idea what was going on last year. This year is a whole different story! He knows what’s going on. And sitting on a strange man’s lap with a big white beard wearing a big red outfit is not Brayden’s cup of tea. Here are some tips that may or may not work to help get better Santa pictures for your little one 
1) Go and visit Santa! Our mall will let you go and talk to Santa for free. Last night there was no line so we spent a good 5 minutes talking to him. B went right up to him and said, “Cho chos!!!”. Santa gave him a high five, but B would not give him a hug! I figure the more times we go see Santa the more B will be comfortable with him.
2) Santa gave us a good tip. He said to have one parent ready behind the camera and have the other parent back the kid in (walk backwards towards Santa) so the kid doesn’t see Santa and freak out. Hand him over to Santa (still facing forward) and quickly jump to the side before your kid knows what hit them and hopefully you’ll get a smile before they start crying That tip came from the big man himself!
3) This tip goes with tip number 1, but Santa also told us to read lots of books with Santa in them. That really gets the kids excited!
4) Start off with a happy kid. Make sure they have a good nap, a full belly, and a clean diaper.
5) This is obvious, but go at a time when you won’t have to wait in a long line. And don’t wait until 2 days before Christmas like I did!
Good luck! If you have any tips that have worked to get an unruly toddler to sit with Santa post them in the comments section!
While I don’t have B’s awesome Santa picture I do have this fun picture I took last Christmas! One of my favorites! I’m excited too because I just came up with the idea for his Christmas pictures this year. Now I just have to figure out a way to get him to cooperate…
About DrewB
I’ve started this blog as a way to connect with other moms who love photography. Whether you are a professional photographer who is looking for advice on how to manage your own business and your family or if you are a mom who is looking for tips on how to take better pictures of your kids, I hope that you can find some good information and be inspired!
Great tips! I know this one might not help you since you can’t find your old Santa pic from last year, but someone suggested that I show my toddler a picture of them sitting on Santa’s lap from the last year. You can discuss how much fun they had while sitting there,etc while hyping the whole experience!
.-= LindaD´s last blog ..It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas! =-.
So cute! Thanks for the tips!
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Sickly =-.
Here’s a tip from the Big Man too. Have Santa hide behind the big chair he sits in and place the child on Santa’s chair. Then Santa peaks from behind the chair with his finger up to his mouth (like he’s saying shhh!) and then you try to do something silly to get the kid to smile. The year I tried it my son still wouldn’t sit on the chair so I had to sit with him, good thing I was in a nice dress because we had just taken family pictures. (Take what you can get
These are all GREAT tips!
But really, I’ve always thought the Santa pics where the kid is screaming and crying are also absolutely hysterical. So, it’s a win-win either way!
I totally need to try those! One of my boys won’t even come near santa’s chair!
Very good tips!
.-= Emmy´s last blog ..The Second Time Around: New Moon =-.
such a cute pic…Can I ask where you got those giant light “props” from???
Aww that picture is SO cute! (athough most every picture of Brayden is super cute!!) Good luck this year!
He is so cute!
They are just regular Christmas decorations. I think I got them from Michaels maybe? Maybe Home Depot? Can’t remember!
I did Santa pics for the daycare where CG goes and there was one little girl who wanted nothing to do with being left alone with Santa for a picture. I finally asked “K” if she would stand on the other side near a decorative tree (right next to Santa’s chair) so that I could take a picture of her with the tree. She bought it and Santa knew just how to inch his way over just enough to get a good pic! Go to (gentry0806.blogspot.com to see the results). Another idea is to tell the child a secret that you need them to tell Santa- although neither of these options gets the child ON Santa’s lap at least Santa is in the picture near a semi happy child!
.-= Sid´s last blog ..Pictures with Santa =-.
It took Kendall until LAST YEAR until she would even look in Santa’s direction! I think that as parents we’re so desperate to capture that “perfect” moment, but I actually have gotten some shots of her watching Sydney with Santa that were priceless, too. Can’t wait to see B’s moment with the big guy!!!
I have one happy Santa pic and 2 screaming pics….we’ll see what happens this year with 2 of them!
I love your photos! I scrolled down to past posts & LOVE the pix of the couples! I would LOVE to have photos of my husband & I like that. wow. Amazing. Really. Perhaps one day…
I love the pic with the big Christmas lights. I have never seen those! I too have thought up my Christmas pic for my girls, now I just have to figure out when to work it into our Christmas schedule!
.-= Alicia Damron´s last blog ..Coca Cola =-.