2026 Christmas Minis: Why I'm Creating an Entire Christmas Experience This Year

-One Room

-Multiple Sets

-One Booking Fee

There will be a cozy bed with white and cream bedding, wispy white canopies and Christmas pillows with traditional plaid behind it. There will be a deep green backdrop for classic portraits, plus a lifestyle area with greenery, wood tones, vintage-inspired Christmas details and things for the kids to interact with.

If you've followed me for a while, you know I start planning Christmas photography way earlier than most people probably think is necessary.

And this year has been no different.

I've spent a lot of time trying to decide what I wanted Christmas minis to look like. I considered doing several completely different sets, finding some new backdrops and trying to come up with something completely different from what I've done before.

But I kept coming back to last year's lifestyle setup.

It was one of my favorite Christmas setups I've created.

The kids could move around the room, play with props and interact with their siblings. Instead of spending the entire session sitting in front of a backdrop, they actually had something to do.

And some of my favorite images came from those moments.

So this year, I'm building on that idea.

I'm turning an entire room into Christmas.

Instead of having several completely unrelated backdrops, I'm creating several different areas within one room that all work together.

There will be a cozy bed with soft white and cream bedding, wispy white canopies and different pillows for Christmas accents. The wall behind the bed will be traditional Christmas plaid.

There will also be a large deep green seamless backdrop for those classic portraits, along with a larger lifestyle area with greenery, warm wood, Christmas details and props for the kids to interact with.

Everything will have a different look, but everything will still feel like it belongs together.

That's important to me because I want your gallery to have variety without looking like you photographed your family in three completely different rooms.

So what happens during your session?

We'll move around the room during your 20 minutes.

I'll guide you through the different areas and pose you when we need to. We'll get the traditional family and sibling portraits, as well as individual images.

But I'm also going to let the kids interact with the space.

They might play with a prop, climb onto the bed, snuggle with a sibling or just do something that gives me a chance to photograph them being themselves.

That's one of the things I love most about lifestyle photography. Sometimes the best picture isn't the one where everyone is looking at the camera.

Sometimes it's the picture right before or right after.

What should we wear?

I've intentionally designed this year's Christmas room so that there are quite a few wardrobe options.

Christmas pajamas will work.

Traditional Christmas outfits will work.

Cozy sweaters and casual winter clothes will work.

The overall color palette will include deep green, traditional plaid, warm wood, creamy whites, soft neutrals and natural greenery.

The two colors I would avoid are heavy burgundy and all black because they may compete with the colors in the room.

And if you're not sure what everyone should wear, just ask me. I'm happy to help with wardrobe on a client-by-client basis.

The Details

Christmas mini sessions will be held November 6, 7 & 8, 2026.

Each session is 20 minutes and includes 3 edited digital images. Additional images are available for $40 each.

The session is $175, and you can reserve your spot with a $50 retainer. The remaining balance can be paid closer to your session or in small installments.

Click here to book your Christmas mini

I'm really excited about this year's setup. I think it's going to be a lot of fun for the kids, and I'm excited to see what we can create in the space.

Last year taught me that Christmas pictures don't have to mean putting everyone in front of a backdrop and asking them to smile.

This year, I want to give your family a little more room to actually experience Christmas while I'm photographing it.

One room, lots of Christmas, and hopefully a whole lot of fun.