You’re Invited To
The 11th Annual santa experience in Central Virginia
A Private Santa Experience Your Child Will Never Forget
Skip the lines. Slow down.
Step into a magical Santa visit designed just for your family.
The Most talked about Santa Experience in town
Not Your Typical Visit with Santa
LIMITED
OPENINGS
Our Santa Experience has been intentionally curated to invite connection, wonder, and a safe space for a child to truly believe in the magic of the holiday season.
No crowds. No pressure.
We guarantee a calm, magical experience for your child.
Can you imagine…
No crowded malls. No long lines.
Choose a session time that works best for your family
Delight in a private, one-on-one visit with Santa — just your child(ren) and the magic
Skip the crowded malls and long lines — this experience is completely unhurried
Observe the magic of the moment when your child truly believes
Enjoy a hand-delivered gift from Santa (provided by parents prior)
Treasure beautifully captured, professional images to preserve the wonder for years to come
This is The ultimate, private Santa Experience!
What makes our Experience Different?
Our Santa Experience is completely customizable for each family:
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01.
HAND DELIVERED GIFT
Santa Claus will deliver hand-picked gifts to your child(ren) provided by you.
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02.
FIRST NAME BASIS
Santa will know your child’s name and any notable interests, making even the unbeliever believe again!
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03.
NON-RUSHED CONVERSATION
Our Santa Experience sessions last long enough to capture all of the magic while enjoying a calm and relaxing visit with Santa.
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04.
WARDROBE GUIDANCE
Our Exclusive Client Preparation Guide includes wardrobe suggestions, shopping links and style advice.
What Makes Our Experience Different?
Personalize Your Session
Complete our Registration Form with details about your child’s interests, their gift list, and any conversations they may have had in previous years with Santa. This is where the magic happens!
Drop off a gift
Mail or hand deliver a gift for your child and Santa will bring it to their session in his gift bag. This is sure to re-ignite the belief for any child who may be on-the-fence!
Purchase additional products
Easily add-on additional products after your session like holiday ornaments, prints, and display folios right in your private gallery.
Rave Reviews
“No rushing, no waiting, no crying kids...
This experience with Santa one-on-one is something I wish I would’ve started with my first two kids. No mall Santa, no chaos, no rushing, no waiting, no crying kids because you’re feeling the pressure of all the other people waiting in line and your kid is crying. To have this personal experience is priceless... Thank you Liz for your incredible talent.”
JESSICA C.
“We loved everything about our experience!
We loved everything about our experience! You were amazing and we will be sharing our experience with friends and family! We enjoyed our session with you so much and the Santa we had was awesome! Thanks again for such a fun Santa experience for the boys! We would love to do it again in the future!”
JENNY M.
“This is an amazing experience from beginning to end!
We absolutely love coming to Liz’s studio! The setting is fantastic and Santa is awesome! She captures every moment of Santa and the children and there are a few bonuses too. You can have Santa bring your child a gift and talk about his/her Elf in the Shelf!! That blew my kids away!! All in all this is amazing experience from beginning to end!!”
REGINA L
“The photos are quality, delivered promptly, and always better than anticipated.
Liz has done our Santa pictures every year for six years, and I can't wait for this year. The experience is in a unique intimate setting, which is a great for small children who could become over stimulated in a long large line like other Santa experiences. The photos are quality, delivered promptly, and always better than anticipated. The simplistic yet classic styling is timeless, and Santa is dressed impeccably yearly, he is after all the REAL Santa =) I look forward to having our Son join our daughter in this tradition this year.”
LIZ M.
Pricing Info
The investment
Only 6
Available
The VIP Santa Experience:
$575
You will receive:
client preparation guide & wardrobe guidance
up to 10 minutes of quality, private time with Santa
optional gift delivery from Santa (parents must drop gift off prior to their session date)
online gallery of 8+ images
private online gallery to purchase additional products
Plus
Priority Editing and 48hr Gallery Delivery Time ($99 value)
Double Your Images (16+ instead of 8+) ($149 value)
Priority Booking in 2027
The Classic Santa Experience:
$375
You will receive:
client preparation guide & wardrobe guidance
up to 10 minutes of quality, private time with Santa
optional gift delivery from Santa (parents must drop gift off prior to their session date)
online gallery of 8+ images
private online gallery to purchase additional products
Add-Ons Available:
Holiday ornament
5×7 framed print
8×8 bi-fold folio with 2 prints -
Double Your Images (16+ instead of 8+) $149
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Your time slot lasts 10 minutes from your scheduled start time. You and your family will be the ONLY guests inside the studio during your time with Santa. Please arrive early and wait in the parking lot to ensure your full 10 minutes with Santa. If you want more face to face time with Santa, you're welcome to book two back to back slots for a total of 20 minutes! Unless you have four or more children, we have found that 10 minutes is plenty.
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No. Not at all! The session time is However, if you have more than four children coming, we highly recommend you book two back-to-back time slots to ensure plenty of time for each child to spend with Santa.
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Yes! You will receive your online gallery of 8+ high-resolution, downloadable images with a personal print release for sharing with friends and family or to use as your Christmas card!
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Along with your downloadable images, you will also receive a Personal Print Release to use when you print your pictures. A Personal Print Release allows you to download all of the pictures and print them at your preferred print location. However, Liz Cook Photography will retain the full Copyrights which means you are not permitted to alter/edit the images, sell them, or submit them to any publications or contests without prior written approval from Liz Cook Photography.
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All clients are able to order both prints and products straight from their online gallery! I’d hate for your investment to be ruined by using a non-professional, low-quality print lab. I’ve seen the comparisons and they just don’t match up to what my print lab offers. I highly recommend you order prints from your private gallery to preserve the color and quality!
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This is a natural concern, especially when you are investing so much for this experience! To ease your concerns, please remember that these sessions are 10 minutes long (not 1-2 minutes like other places). This has proven to be plenty of time for most children to warm up to Santa considering we practice a child-led approach. It is important to note that our Santas are experienced and knowledgable and they do everything they can to avoid the "crying baby" pictures.
If you are especially concerned about this, please let us know ahead of time. We have some tricks to ensure we get a couple of great shots of your child(ren) with Santa without them even knowing! We also welcome you to bring along a wrapped present for Santa to give to shy children (consider a favorite book that Santa could read to them, or a favorite toy or stuffed animal). Note: Please only bring something you are okay being photographed.
We also include a couple of other preparation tips for you and your children in our Client Preparation Guide that you will receive after booking your session. Ultimately, if your child just really doesn't want anything to do with the man in the red suit, we will do what we can to make the most of your session time (with your permission, of course)! We like to take the approach of embracing these memories and allowing the photographs to depict the true activity of the session. It'll certainly make for a great story later!
Faqs
have questions?
We’ve got you covered.
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Santa sessions take place in our private studio in the New London area of Forest, Virginia. The studio is one mile off of VA-460, located inside of a private residence.
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Not to worry! The sessions are held inside the studio and we use studio lighting to offset the darker winter days as well. And if by chance it happens to snow, let's just say Santa's sleigh has 4WD. :)
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We will have a whole write-up in our Client Preparation Guide about our Santa, his backgrounds, and how he got started working as Santa! You will know his real name, where he lives and works (during the week) :)), and more from his resume before you even show up at the studio.
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Just for children! That being said, if your child needs to be held by you to feel safe and secure with Santa, that's totally okay!
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This is completely up to you! Upon registration, you will receive a Client Preparation Guide with clothing advice to help you with this process. We have had kids wear everything from their Christmas Finest to their holiday pajamas! We love Burt's Bees neutral pajama line, but any festive attire is welcome! Most importantly, help your child be comfortable.
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We expect to sell out in 2026 due to our limited availability. We have a cap on our spots, and once this cap is reached, the calendar will close. If you missed out on booking, please e-mail us to join the waitlist. Oftentimes, we have a family whose child becomes sick and they need to sell their spot, and we'll go down our waiting list to offer it first come, first serve.
Meet Your Photographer
Liz Cook is a photographer based in Central Virginia. Her intuition and creative perspective allow her to connect both professionally and personally with her subjects, and thus, her portfolio is saturated with authentic emotion.
Over the past decade and a half, Liz has had the privilege of photographing hundreds of weddings, numerous birth stories, and countless families. She has provided families around the United States with timeless and priceless images to help tell their own stories to future generations.
Whether she's sharing her story with fellow entrepreneurs or enjoying quality time with her husband and children, Liz is both present and passionate about capturing and celebrating life. Her work has been featured in People Magazine, The New York Times, O "Oprah" Magazine, The Glitter Guide, Essence Magazine, domino, Rue Magazine, and others.
View press publications here.
This experience is so much more than Pictures!
Enjoy a magical holiday tradition by kicking off the season with a visit with Santa, one where he knows you by name and enjoys connecting with your children. No long lines, no crowds of crying children, no stress. This is what the magic of Christmas is all about!