Christmas is the busiest time for us as a studio. Probably because giving a photo is the best gift ever, especially for Grandparents. We start preparing for these sessions earlier in the year and by mid-October we are almost ready for the Christmas rush. However, for a couple of days in December we down tools, everything at the studio stops and we turn it into a pretty cool Grotto. We already have our very own Santa. Ray starts growing his beard in September, so it is bushy enough by the time children come and visit in December.
This year will be the 4th year that we have turned the studio into a Grotto and this year we are planning for it to be better than ever. It is not only truly rewarding to see so many little faces genuinely in awe of Santa, but all proceeds go to our nominated charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer. We do also get to take a break from the craziness that is the Christmas rush and just enjoy the festivities.
Why did we start doing this in the first place? Well, we all have a photo from a Christmas Grotto when we were younger sitting on Santa’s knee, but they are never any good. They are almost always out of focus and not a great keepsake of the day. So, we decided to start a Grotto where you are guaranteed to leave with a fabulous, professional photo of your child with Santa. Unless of course your child just wants to wave from a distance or is petrified of sitting next to a strange man in a red suit (we do get this occasionally!)
Along with sweets, a special gift from Santa and the chance to write him a letter and stick it in our post box it really is a visit to Santa with a bit more of a personal touch. Plus, you get the all-important photo with the man himself and we think he looks like the REAL Santa.
If you are interested in booking a space to see the REAL Santa at the studio then just give the office a call on 01992 636152. It is charged at £9.50 per child and taking place on the 3rd – 6th of December.
