Santa at b. braithwaite

When I was 2 years old, I was deathly afraid of Santa Claus. He was a scary looking man to me, and I didn't quite understand the concept of presents under the Christmas tree. Of course, my mother tried and tried to get a photo of me and Santa at that age, but the lines at the mall were impatient, and the photographer wasn't being paid enough to coax me into sitting on Santa's lap. Needless to say, I don't have any photo memories of me visiting Santa between the ages of 1 - 3.

Visiting Santa Claus in a favorite Christmas outfit is a tradition that has been with us for generations. That is why when Chaffee told me of her vision of Santa at b. braithwaite, I knew I had to take part. "The experience is what I want the children and families to remember," she told me. And that is exactly what we focused on the past two weekends as more than 300 children walked into the doors of b. braithwaite.

The store is a child's fantasy playground (and mother's fantasy baby boutique with everything designed exclusively by legendary interior designer Nancy Braithwaite!). Larger-than-life bunny and teddy bears welcome you as you enter, and every nook and corner is filled with everything a child would want to play with. Train sets, baby strollers, art easels and gigantic bean bags. As the children play and wait for their scheduled appointment, I work with each family to capture that perfect moment with Santa.

There are SO many reasons I recommend my clients to come to b. braithwaite for their Santa portraits.

First is the location itself. I could play in Chaffee's store all day.



Second reason is because of Santa Claus himself. He is so incredibly jolly, patient, kind and photogenic! After all, he IS the real Santa Claus.

Chaffee is wonderful working with kids as well. Even the shyest ones...



There are no rules, no limitations, no lines, no fuss. Bring your family, your pets, whoever your heart desires. Santa loves to visit with all!



Of course, one of the main reasons is that your portraits are taken by me :)



I completely understand that some children love Santa more than others.



But that doesn't mean we don't try. In fact, we put more love and affection into the children who shy away first...



We even love to get the parents involved! Here's my friend Lesley tickling Allie's toes to get that perfect smile with Santa.



And I'm not afraid to sing, jump around, make funny noises and dance around in circles to make your children laugh.

I absolutely love working with Chaffee and her team every year to produce the best Santa portraits and experience in town. Chaffee and I open appointments to our wonderful clients first in early November, and then the public is invited to join soon after.

Thank you to all who joined us these past two weekends...and past three years! We hope you and your children enjoyed the experience and will cherish the memories for years to come!