Some 9 years or so ago I was attending a Celtic festival with members of my family. Walking out of a tent where I had been listening to concert, I spot a somewhat short man with a beautiful Santa beard, wearing kilts, and talking with someone. I don't know what possessed me, but I walked up to him and asked him if he ever played Santa Claus? He pulled out a business card and with his picture on the front. There were two words on the card, "Santa Claus" followed by a phone number. That turned out to be the beginning of a partnership that has grown over the years. We started out doing the "Santa day at the studio." I was similar to a mall Santa shoot in that the kids sat next to or on Santa's lap and we to the portrait. Unlike the mall our images did have a beautiful classic look. Unfortunately we weren't making much money because our studio was not in a mass production location. I began to raise out prices. We lost half of our clients, but began to make enough money to make it worth our while. Then came the Storybook Santa Experience and doing 6 weeks of sessions. We began holding the private sessions that we do today. It's been beyond our wildest expectations. The hour long private sessions with the resulting photograph based painted portraits have been a hit with parents and grandparents. But it is not just about selling beautiful portraits. Our sessions are an unforgettable experience for the children. The smiles, the laughter and the feedback we get has been more than I could have imagined. The hugs I get from mothers who have just seen their artwork on screen for the first time when they come to order or the day they pick up their portraits is an indicator of the value we give to our clients. What we are doing now is an investment, but that investment allows us to serve each client in a wonderful way and provide them with the best products possible. Doing that is its own reward. It's been an interesting journey with that Scottish Santa I met so long ago. He has stuck with me from the times I couldn't pay him. but we have shared a loyalty that has gotten us to where we are now. I can't wait to see him in his Alpine workshop this year as the next group of kids walk through the door the the Storybook Santa Claus door.

If you would like to know more about our Storybook Santa Experience or reserve your session click here.