Frequently Asked Questions

First of all, as noted earlier, this is an experience and the imagery is created in that process! It’s about your children with Santa - best part is that you won’t be waiting in line!

Second of all, the only thing our Santa experience has in common with those other Santa photo shoots is the big guy in the red suit!

We give your child a magical experience with Santa that they’ll never forget. Since there’s not a line of million cranky kids waiting, your child will have time to actually hang out with Santa. She’ll get to have a conversation with him, share her wishlist, and even ask him their adorable childlike questions all while we capture unforgettable imagery.

We have adorable wardrobe options that you can choose from so you don’t have to worry about how to dress your child.

Our award winning portrait artist will take photos of your child interacting with Santa and create the most gorgeous pieces ever. Everything is custom done and will be done exactly as discussed with you during your ordering session. And will yo have it by Christmas? YES, of course!*

*There is only one premium product that will be delivered after Christmas. You will be advised of this during your sales session. We are great at communicating with our clients and want you to be 100% satisfied!

The backdrop and lighting are magic, and they allow for many more posing options, so your portrait won’t look like every other cookie cutter Santa photo you’ve seen.

We’ve had older children participate in our experience and enjoy it. Sometimes even parents will jump in with their jammies on. It’s a good idea to ask older children to play the part of Santa’s helper, so that it preserves the magic of Santa for the little ones.

We have a few openings where YES this is possible. We do however have to charge more due to time and have just a few appts to accommodate this.

There is a $25 additonal charge per dog to photograph them with your children as part of the set. We will include them in certain images as part of storytelling! If you JUST want your dogs with Santa, we have a separate day just for that! Fell free to call us for information 843-998-4584

Space is limited and we do expect that this magical event will sell out as it does every year. Here is how it works!
(and a brief explanation of what to expect after your child’s magical Santa experience is complete.)

1. Call 843-998-4584 to schedule OR complete the “Book my appointment” form and we will call you to finalize your appointment time. Please note that session fees must be paid to reserve your appointment. We take any major credit card to do so.
2. We will email and call to confirm your reservation. At this time, we will also schedule a second appointment, which is when you will see and purchase your images.
3. Once your order is placed, we will be working around the clock to get it ready so you will have it before Christmas… Our orders normally take 6-8 weeks, however, we guarantee your order before Christmas unless we advise you otherwise. Christmas cards can be ready to go in about 10 days!
4. We will call you as soon as your order is complete so you can pick up your order.

We allot 45-60 minutes of one-on-one play and magic with Santa session per session, time depends on the number of children in that session. Appointments for Children 3 and under are 30 minutes as explains HERE.

Yes! Our Santa loves children! Some of the best photos are of children talking to Santa, asking questions, and getting to know him! Read more about what will happen in the “About the experience” section.

One of the big perks of doing our Santa experience is that no one will be rushing your child. We focus on giving your child an experience with Santa. The imagery is the memory!

Our staff and Santa are all incredibly patient and would never force a child to do something they aren't comfortable with. It’s common for young children to be apprehensive at first, but they tend to warm up quickly.

Our Santa portrait experience is all about giving your child a positive memory of Santa--our Santa will remember your child’s name and give him enough time to get comfortable with him.

Please note we do not recommend children under the age of three that do not have an older sibling. Read more about this HERE.

Yes, please do! This isn’t the kind of experience you’ll want to do every year. We’re creating a treasured family heirloom that you’ll look at every year to remember the magic of the holiday season. You’ll want to have all of your children in the portraits. (And we urge you to wait until your family is complete, so potential future children aren’t left out!) This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We feel very strongly about this, and will not accept children under the age of 3 unless they have an older siblings for regular appointments. We want children to understand and appreciate who Santa is so they can remember this experience for many years to come. More about this HERE.

Our Santa experience is geared toward children ages 3-100. We feel the prime ages are 4 to 10. But, older and younger siblings are welcome! We often have older siblings join and play along. It’s amazing to watch. One year a 17-year-old girl reluctantly came with her 8 year old sister. During the session, we purposely left her name off the “nice list.” Her sister reaction? PRICELESS! Our memory of this makes us laugh every time…. the little one said, “Oh no Taylor I TOLD YOU to be nice to mom!” . . . and she started to cry. It was AWESOME. There are some things you just NEVER forget!

Please don’t stress about clothing. We provide pajamas and nightgowns for your little ones that will look perfect on our set! However, should you want to bring your own, you certainly can! We highly recommend that you utilize the correct color scheme… white, red and green! Plain and simple usually works better than busy patterns or plaid and will be timeless. FOR LINKS TO GREAT NIGHTGOWNS / PJ's CLICK HERE

An amazing experience for your children that you will never forget. Memories that will never fade and artwork that you will cherish forever! You will have your choice of beautiful fine art pieces. We create gorgeous personalized storybooks, wall portraits, gift boxes all finished with magic and exquisite artwork with a nostalgic feel.

Here is a recent testimonial:
“I stumbled upon this experience accidentally and I’m so glad I did! My daughter is 6 so I know I will soon begin to wonder if this is the year she stop’s believing! After seeing Maria’s work I knew she would capture the magic and excitement my daughter still has when it comes to Santa! The images she captured are reminiscent of Norman Rockwell holiday pictures I remember my Mom putting out as a child – timeless and beautiful. Maria perfectly captured the magic of Christmas through my daughter’s eyes and we now have the pictures to cherish for a lifetime.”
-Kerry P.

Although we will do everything we can to re-schedule your family should there be a conflict and you notify us within 10 working days . . . It is important to note that Santa sessions are nonrefundable as there are limited appointments available and require much planning. We invest a lot of time, experience, and resources to ensure your children never forget their experience here at Castelo Portrait Art - including creating personalized letters from the North Pole and their engraved leather bells! For this reason we will do our best to re-schedule your family- although we cannot guarantee it and we do not refund cancelled appointments.