It’s still summer, but 5-year-old Jackson Williamson and his 3-year-old brother, Jones, got to spend an hour with Santa Claus Saturday morning (shown above), thanks to two local photographers.
Melissa Gordon, the wife of Publisher Neil Gordon and owner of Studio Gordon, LLC, and Addie Strozier, owner of Addie Strozier Photography, LLC, have developed a unique Christmas experience for children and their families. In the past, Gordon and Strozier took quick photos of children with Santa. This is their first year doing one-hour sessions.
“I love seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces when they realize how long they get to spend with Santa,” Strozier said.
During the experience, Santa pretends to sleep, read the Bible, and do other activities to keep kids entertained. Each child also receives an ornament to take home.
Gordon said they found an educational platform that explained how to create the experience.
“We took some of their suggestions and made it our own,” she said. “We built the set using furniture and things we’ve had for years.”
The set includes a decorated tree and toys. They hired Burt Rayburn, a professional Santa, who said, in his experience, that one-hour sessions are unique.
“Most of the Santa engagements I have are the child comes in and has three minutes,” Rayburn said.
He said he tries to have conversations with children about what they want for Christmas.
“I try to be very specific; I’m really interested in what their present is,” Rayburn said.
For example, if a child asks for a Lego set, he’ll ask what type of set the child wants. He also speaks to children as if he already knows them.
“I’m telling a story they can relate to,” Rayburn said. “The goal is to give that good Christmas experience.”
Strozier said that’s their goal, too.
“We’ve both wanted to do a Norman Rockwell-type scene that takes us back to our childhood,” she said. “We’re storytellers, so we like to tell stories with our art; this was perfect.”
Meagan, the boys’ mother, loved watching them interact with Santa and choose ornaments to take home.
“I enjoyed seeing my kids believing in magic and the spirit of Christmas on their faces,” she said.
Session dates are available until mid-November. For more information or to book a session, visit app.iris-works.com/customer/booking/477ebfb3-d142-4d92-97e0-2c1b6d4c99c6.
