Private Santa Photos in Lake Worth Beach: Giving Kids Time to Actually Meet Santa
Last Christmas, my nine-year-old watched Santa Claus walk through the sliding glass doors—and just froze.
Hand over his mouth. Eyes huge.
For a kid who was already getting old enough to ask some pretty skeptical questions about Santa, that reaction told me everything.
He believed him.
And honestly? Standing there watching this Santa and Mrs. Claus interact with all of our kids, I understood why.
This wasn't the Santa experience I was used to. There wasn't a long line behind us. Nobody was rushing the kids onto Santa's lap, snapping one photo and immediately calling for the next family.
The kids actually got to meet Santa.
And that experience is exactly what inspired me to create our own private Santa and Mrs. Claus photography experience in Downtown Lake Worth Beach this Christmas.
The Santa Experience That Changed Everything
My brother had rented a private Airbnb for our family last Christmas, and we arranged for Santa and Mrs. Claus to surprise the kids.
Between the three families, we had children ranging from babies all the way up to my nine-year-old.
I had my camera ready, of course.
I had even carefully planned a little outdoor photo area ahead of time—which was great until Florida did what Florida does and the sun moved enough to completely change my lighting before Santa arrived.
Photographer problems.
But none of that mattered once those sliding doors opened.
Santa and Mrs. Claus walked outside, and suddenly every kid's attention was on them.
Some ran right up. Some were a little more cautious. And some needed a minute to decide whether this giant bearded man in red was someone they wanted anywhere near them.
And that's where I noticed something I hadn't really thought about before..
Mrs. Claus Might Be the Secret Weapon for Nervous Kids
For some reason, Mrs. Claus just isn't as intimidating.
The children who were unsure about Santa could approach her first. There wasn't any pressure to immediately sit on Santa's lap or smile for a photograph.
They were allowed to warm up.
Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted everyone, handed the children little bells and talked with them about Christmas and the North Pole. The kids who were comfortable gave Santa hugs. Then everyone gathered around while Santa and Mrs. Claus told them a Christmas story.
By the time I started taking individual photographs, the children weren't being introduced to two strangers anymore.
They'd spent time with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
One little girl was still nervous about Santa, though.
Instead of forcing her to sit beside him for the sake of getting the picture, she sat comfortably on the bench with Mrs. Claus first.
Then Santa quietly worked his way into the photograph from behind her.
He didn't even need to sit next to her.
And we still got the memory.
That moment has stuck with me because a child shouldn't have to be scared or uncomfortable just so the adults can get the traditional Santa picture.
Sometimes the better photograph happens when we stop trying to force the photograph.
A Santa Even My Skeptical Nine-Year-Old Couldn't Crack
Little kids are one thing.
Nine-year-olds ask questions.
And mine was definitely reaching the age where Santa was going to need to know his stuff.
He did.
Whatever the children asked, Santa had an answer. Questions about the North Pole didn't throw him off. The details were there. The personality was there. Mrs. Claus played right along with him.
Even his appearance is incredibly convincing. He grows his real beard throughout the year in preparation for becoming Santa.
There wasn't some obvious detail that suddenly pulled the kids out of the experience.
For those few moments, you really could believe that Santa had shown up.
And as a mom, I realized how precious that window of childhood actually is.
You don't know which Christmas will be the last one when they're completely mesmerized by him.
We've All Done the Traditional Santa Photo
My previous Santa-photo experiences looked much more like what a lot of parents are probably familiar with.
You go somewhere crowded.
You wait in a huge line.
Your child gets tired of waiting.
You're trying to keep everybody's Christmas outfits clean while simultaneously stopping someone from having a meltdown.
Then it's finally your turn.
Quick! Get on Santa's lap. Look here. Smile.
Flash.
Done.
And if your child needs five minutes to decide whether Santa is safe? There often aren't five minutes to give them.
Sometimes you're waiting in line and Santa goes on break right before your turn. Or one Santa leaves and another one comes back, which becomes particularly interesting once your older child starts asking why Santa suddenly looks completely different.
😂
Then you finally get the photograph and discover that your glasses caught the flash, someone's blinking, or the lighting isn't exactly doing anyone any favors.
It's still a Christmas tradition. And those pictures can absolutely become treasured memories.
But after seeing what happened when our kids were actually given time with Santa, I knew I wanted to create something different.
What If Santa Photos Were About the Experience First?
That's what inspired this year's Santa & Mrs. Claus experience with Photogenic Fox Photography in Downtown Lake Worth Beach.
Instead of moving families through a traditional Santa line, each family has their own private time with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
There is room for the traditional everyone-look-at-the-camera Christmas portrait.
I want that photograph too.
But I also want what happens before and after it.
The look on your child's face when they first see Santa.
The conversation.
The shy smile.
The suspicious stare.
The giant hug.
The moment they whisper what they want for Christmas.
The interaction with Mrs. Claus.
The laughter when Santa says something ridiculous.
Those are the photographs that tell me what Christmas actually felt like at this age..
A Christmas Set That Feels Warm Without Stealing the Show
For this year's experience, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be joining us indoors at Latitude 26 Art Gallery in Downtown Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
I wanted the set to feel warm and cozy without filling every inch of the photograph with Christmas decorations.
We'll have a brown leather couch paired with a warm Christmas living-room backdrop, with Santa and Mrs. Claus—and most importantly, your family—as the focus.
No giant production competing with your kids.
Just a cozy Christmas setting that gives us room for interaction, portraits and all of those little in-between moments I love photographing.
And because we're indoors, we don't have to worry about the Florida sun completely changing my carefully planned setup while I'm waiting for Santa this time.
I learned that lesson last year. 😂
What Happens If My Child Is Afraid of Santa?
This is probably one of the biggest reasons I wanted Mrs. Claus to be part of the experience.
Your child does not have to sit on Santa's lap.
They don't even have to immediately go near him.
Maybe they start with Mrs. Claus.
Maybe Mom or Dad stays in the picture.
Maybe we photograph the whole family first.
Maybe they spend a little time watching Santa before deciding he's okay.
And if we never get the classic sitting-with-Santa portrait?
That's okay too.
I'd rather photograph your child's real experience than turn Christmas into a battle over one forced smile.
The little girl I photographed last year didn't need to suddenly become fearless. We adjusted the photograph to her instead.
That's the kind of flexibility I want to bring into these sessions.
And Parents—You Belong in the Christmas Memories Too
You can absolutely jump into the photographs.
Actually, I hope you do.
So much of creating Christmas magic happens behind the scenes. Parents find the gifts, wrap everything, coordinate the outfits, remember the traditions, get everyone out the door and somehow make the whole thing happen.
And then we stand behind the phone taking pictures of everybody else enjoying it.
Get in the picture.
Years from now, your children aren't going to care whether you thought your hair looked perfect that morning.
They're going to see Christmas with their family.
Private Santa & Mrs. Claus Photos in Lake Worth Beach
This year, I'm bringing the Santa experience that inspired all of this home to Photogenic Fox Photography.
And yes—it's the same Santa and Mrs. Claus who made such an impression on my own kids last Christmas.
Our private Santa & Mrs. Claus photography experience takes place November 14, 2026 at Latitude 26 Art Gallery in Downtown Lake Worth Beach.
Each family receives private time with Santa and Mrs. Claus, immediate-family portraits are welcome, and you'll receive five professionally edited images delivered in time for Christmas cards and gifts.
But what I hope you leave with is bigger than five photographs.
I want your kids to walk away feeling like they didn't just take a picture with Santa.
They met him.
And I want you to have the photographs that prove, for one more Christmas, just how much they believed.
