I cherish pictures of my children. They are only little once and when they get bigger all I’ll have is the memories and the many pictures to look back on. Not only do I love taking pictures of my children, but I also love the holiday season. The years that children get excited about Santa are short and go quickly. To capture their holiday excitement I chose to book Santa pictures at Storybrook experiences. I had an excellent experience with Storybrook experiences and I believe my pictures came out amazing. Check our Storybook Experience Santa Experience Review here.
Every year I was getting my daughter’s Santa pictures taken at our local mall. They were cute, but I was getting tired of the same picture, with the same Santa with the same background. Next year, I wanted to try something new. A friend of mine mentioned that she did the Santa Experience with Storybook Experiences. She said she had a great experience and was going to do it again next year. She warned me that appointments fill up fast and suggested that I got on their mailing list. I went to their website www.storybookexperiences.com and joined their mailing list. I also liked their Facebook page.
I received an e-mail in January about the sign-ups for next Christmas, yes January. I put it on my calendar and was eager to sign up. When the day finally came, I was so excited to make an appointment. So was everyone else, the website crashed and I could not get on to schedule my appointment. The crew at Storybook Experiences kept on top of this unfortunate circumstance.
They sent e-mails updating us on the status of the site and when it would be back up and running again. When it finally was, I was able to schedule my appointment. To book the appointment you have to leave a $100 deposit. The total cost of the package was $350 which included the full experience and 20 digital photos. I usually do not spend this much on photos but for photos and an experience, I thought I give it a try.
I ended up getting pregnant that year and my child was due in October. I was happy that I booked the Santa Experience because it would be something special for my child’s first Christmas. Now I was super excited.
About 2 weeks before our shoot. My daughter received a letter in the mail from the North Pole. She was very excited to receive something from Santa. I read her the letter. It stated that Santa was coming to Long Island and that she was going to be able to meet him. It was a sweet letter and now she was eager to meet Santa.
Finally, the day arrived. My daughter was dressed in her green dress and my son in a newborn Santa onesie and matching Santa hat. When we arrived at Storybook Experiences, it reminded me of a storybook. It was a cute little building and had a tall nutcracker in front. When we went inside it was decorated so beautifully and really felt like you were in Santa’s cottage. It had a tall Christmas tree, a toy room where the kids can play while waiting for their shoot. It felt warm and cozy. We waited about 10 minutes before it was our turn. Then the experience begins.
When it is your time to go in they bring you to a bookshelf that was a secret doorway to Santa. You walk down the hall to Santa’s workshop, there you are greeted by Santa. The Santa was excellent, the best I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure if his bead was real, but it sure looked real. He has a bubbly personality and was warm and inviting. He had no problem holding my almost 2-month-old son. He was like a jolly old grandpa. It was great. In the workshop kids play blocks and fly an airplane with Santa, while the photographer snapped pictures. Santa was great positioning the children to get the best shot.
After playing in the workshop, Santa asked my daughter if she was on the nice list. He pulled out the list and there she got to look for her name. There is was, right there on the paper, Janelle and her 2 month-old brother was on there too.
They moved over to another area that looked like a winter forest. My daughter and Santa sat on some logs and enjoyed a special drink and some cookies. They read a story and even made it snow.
We moved over to another section where Santa sat in his chair and asked her what she wanted for Christmas and her brother too.
When our session ended my daughter was even more excited for Christmas. She got to take home a special gift of reindeer food. Santa reminded her not to forget to sprinkle it out on the lawn Christmas Eve to feed the reindeer. It was defiantly all I thought it would be and more.
Our photos took about 2 weeks to come. They sent me 40 and let me pick 20. You were also able to choose more at an additional price. The pictures came out so great. I wanted to pick them all, the only thing that stopped me was thinking I can’t hang up Santa pictures all year round.
I highly recommend the Santa Experience. I received the best photos. The staff was very cheerful and the customer service is great. They also have an Easter Bunny Experience that I would love to check out Storybook Experiences is located at 475 Montauk Highway, West Islip NY 11795.
Helpful Hints
Get on the mailing list to be the first to know about bookings
Try not to wear red to the Santa Experience. Santa has a red suit and there is a lot of red in the background. Try green, black or another pop color.
Try to book your experience before December 1st. Photos take 2 weeks. I did my shoot on December 10th and I didn’t have time to put the pictures on my Christmas Cards. I did print and frame some to use as gifts.
If your child is afraid of Santa, try to wait until they are a little older and will fully enjoy the experience. The staff is wonderful, if your child is afraid but if you’re paying $350 you don’t want to have crying children in the photos.
Don’t be late. With all the bookings, they run a tight schedule. You never feel rushed during the shoot, but I would recommend getting there a couple of minutes early.
Have fun. I really enjoyed my shoot. I have great memorable photos for my son’s first Christmas.
