How to Prepare for Your Minneapolis Christmas Mini Session

Every December, somebody’s kid ends up on the Christmas card in a sweater with a light-up reindeer on it, squinting into the sun on the front steps, because that was the only ten minutes everyone was dressed. A Minneapolis Christmas mini session lets you skip that this year.

I’ve been photographing Twin Cities kids since 2009, and my Holiday Minis are short on purpose. Little kids have about ten good minutes in them before they’d rather be anywhere else, so that’s what the session is built around. Here’s everything you need to know to walk in ready.

What Happens at a Minneapolis Christmas Mini Session?

• When: Sunday, November 8, 2026
• Where: my natural-light studio in the Northeast Minneapolis Fine Arts District
• How long: 10 minutes
• Who: kids only, geared toward babies, toddlers, and young kids. Siblings under 10 are photographed together.
• Commission: $100 reserves your time
• Collections: start at $300, chosen after you see your gallery
• Spots: eight

Ten minutes sounds short until you’ve watched a two-year-old decide she’s done. I work fast and I let the kids lead. Some kids warm up in the first minute and some need a few minutes to decide I’m not suspicious. Either way, you’ll leave with variety, and you won’t spend the afternoon negotiating with a toddler.

What Are This Year’s Christmas Mini Session Sets?

Your child can use as many sets as they’re up for. Some kids move through all four. Some kids find one they love and refuse to leave it, which is also fine.

The Merry Christmas banner.

White shiplap, cedar garland, a red velvet bow, and a hand-lettered “Merry Christmas” banner over a bed layered in a scalloped cream quilt and pillows. It’s soft and easy for babies who aren’t sitting up yet, and it gives you a card photo with the greeting already in it.

The red rocker.

A child-sized red rocking chair between two small frosted trees with red berries, on a clean white wall and floor. Simple, graphic, and very Christmas card.

The oversized wreath.

A four-foot wreath with a red velvet bow and long ribbon tails, hung against white brick between the studio windows. Kids stand inside it or peek through it, and it’s big enough that even a tiny one gets framed by it.

The snowy trees.

Two flocked trees and a cane-back bench against my blue lime-wash wall. It’s the quietest set of the four and reads as winter more than Christmas, so it’s the one that can stay on your wall well past January.

What Is the $50 Parent Add-On?

Holiday Minis are kids-only. If you’d like to be in a few frames, there’s a $50 add-on. You get a few extra minutes on the plain white wall with no holiday decor, and you can use them to hop in with your kids or for a clean portrait of your kids without a single ornament in sight.

If you’re after a real family portrait with everyone in it, a Petite Family session is the better fit, and I’m happy to help you figure out which one makes sense.

What Are the Best Christmas Photo Outfit Ideas for Kids?

The sets already bring the red: the velvet bows, the rocker, the berries. Your kids don’t need to match them. Let the sets be festive and let the clothes be classic.

What photographs well:

• Cream, ivory, and oatmeal. They work on every set and never compete with the decor.
• Muted greens and soft blues. Sage, forest, or dusty blue look great on the snowy trees set.
• Texture. Cable knits, velvet, corduroy, a little lace. Texture does the work that a loud pattern tries to do.
• Subtle pattern. A small plaid or a quiet print is fine. Big graphic prints pull attention from faces.

What to skip:

• Bright red head to toe. It fights with the bows and the rocker.
• Logos, characters, and anything that lights up or sings.
• Neon, and anything so glittery it reflects.

Siblings: pick two or three colors and spread them across everyone instead of dressing them in identical outfits. Coordinated looks better than matching.

Nice List members get my Looks Book in their inbox, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of this part.

How Do I Get My Kids Ready for Christmas Photos?

The best Christmas photo ideas with kids start before you get to the studio. Most of what makes a mini session go well happens at home.

• Feed everyone first. A hungry kid will not rally, no matter how cute the rocker is.
• Keep the day low-key. Don’t stack the session between a birthday party and a holiday concert.
• Talk about it casually. “We’re going to see Michele and take some pictures” is plenty. The more you build it up, the more pressure they feel.
• Skip the candy bribe. It works for about four seconds and then you have a sticky, sugared-up kid in a cream sweater.
• Please don’t tell your child to smile normal. Or to say cheese. I’ve got the smiles covered.
• Please don’t spend the car ride explaining how much these photos cost. They will not care, and they’ll arrive knowing something’s at stake.

If your child is shy or doesn’t smile, that’s completely normal. The goal isn’t a perfect performance.

I’ve had plenty of kids walk in, take one look at the camera, and decide they want no part of it. The parents start apologizing, and I tell them to give it a minute. Once nobody’s asking for a smile, most kids get curious again, and the photo the parents end up loving often comes right after the rough start, not instead of it.

Getting in: the studio is on the second floor at 1330 Quincy St NE, and there’s no elevator. The main door is often locked, so text me when you arrive and I’ll come let you in. If you have a baby in a car seat, plan on carrying it up.

Will My Photos Be Ready for Christmas Cards?

Your gallery arrives about two weeks after your session, which leaves plenty of time for cards. The Postal Service recommends mailing First-Class cards by December 17 for delivery before Christmas (USPS 2026 holiday mailing dates). You choose your images and your collection after you’ve seen everything, so you’re never guessing ahead of time. Collections start at $300.

If one of the wreath or snowy trees photos turns out to be the one, ask me about printing it. The snowy trees set in particular was made for a frame.

How Do I Book a Holiday Mini Session?

There are eight spots for November 8, and they go to my lists first.

1. Join the Nice List. Nice List members get first access to booking on October 1, first choice of times, and the Looks Book.
2. October 8: if any spots are left, they open to my main email list.

If you want in, the Nice List is the way to get there.

Ready for Your Minneapolis Christmas Mini Session?

The short version: feed them, dress them in something soft and simple, skip the pep talk in the car, and let them be themselves for ten minutes. I’ll take it from there.

Eight spots, one Sunday, and the Nice List books first. Join the Nice List before October 1 so you’re first in line.

FAQ: Minneapolis Christmas Mini Sessions