Here’s a fun fact before we even start: Christmas in July started at a girls’ summer camp in North Carolina back in 1933, when a camp director named Fannie Holt decided her campers shouldn’t have to wait until winter to enjoy a little Christmas magic.
Fake snow, stockings, even a very sweaty Santa. It’s been catching on around the world ever since. So no, I’m not rushing the season on you.
Wait… you want me to take Christmas photos in the middle of summer?
Yes. And stay with me.
Here’s the thing about a Christmas mini session: it happens in the studio, with a full Christmas set. Twinkling lights, a beautifully dressed tree, festive backdrops, the whole feeling of December wrapped into one room.
Once the lights are on and the camera comes out, nobody looking at that photo will ever know it was 30 degrees outside when it was taken. It will look exactly like December, because in that room, for that hour, it is December.
Everything is calmer in July
Let’s be honest about what December actually feels like for most families. School concerts. Work parties. Family gatherings to plan. Relatives flying in. A dozen things competing for the same two weekends before Christmas Day.
By the time your session rolls around in December, everyone is a little frazzled. The kids are wound up from parties, sugar and excitement. You are juggling a dozen other things in your head.
And the photographer? She is also booked back-to-back with every other family trying to squeeze into the same small window. In July, none of that exists.
Your calendar is lighter. The kids are back home, relaxed and well-rested, not hyped up from three school events in one week. There is no rush, no “we need to be out the door in twenty minutes” energy. Just one hour where we can actually get it right.
You also get first pick of everything
December books up fast, every single year, and the families who wait end up choosing from whatever is left…an odd Tuesday evening, a slot nobody else wanted. In July, you get to choose freely. The best days, the best times, the setup you actually want, without competing with half the GTA for the same three weekends.
Your cards and gifts are ready with zero panic
Here’s something people don’t think about until it’s too late. If you wait until December to take your family photos, you then still need time to receive the gallery, choose your favourites, and get cards or prints made before the holidays actually arrive. That is a lot to squeeze into a few short weeks.
Book your Christmas session in July, and by the time everyone else is scrambling to fit in a shoot, your cards are already printed. Your gifts for Grandma are already framed. You get to spend December actually enjoying the season instead of racing against it.
“But it will feel weird pretending it’s Christmas in the summer”
I get it. It feels a little unusual at first. But here’s what I’ve noticed with every family who has tried it: the moment the Christmas set comes together, the tree, the lights, the cozy styling, something shifts. The kids get just as excited as they would in December.
The whole family leans into it. It becomes its own fun little tradition, almost like a secret only you and I share. And honestly? A little bit of Christmas cheer in the middle of summer is a genuinely lovely thing to have.
How to make it happen
You don’t need to do anything complicated. Bring your family. I’ll take care of the tree, the lights, the props, and the styling of the set itself. All you need to think about is what your family wears, and I’ll help guide you through that too.
Reach out, and let’s find your date this month, while the calendar is wide open and life is still moving at a summer pace.
BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS IN JULY SESSION
And if you’re new here, welcome. Let me know if you’d love to get honest notes like this one.
With love,
Malvis.
