Every year, right around the middle of November, my phone starts lighting up. “Do you have anything Thanksgiving week? Everyone will finally be in town!” I completely understand why. It feels like the perfect time, when the college kids are home, the grandparents have flown in, and the whole family is finally under one roof.
But here's what most families don't realize until it's too late: if you want Christmas cards in the mail and portraits on your walls before Christmas, Thanksgiving week is almost always too late.
Why the timing matters more than you think
When you book a session with me, you aren't getting a folder of files to figure out on your own. You're getting finished, printed pieces made to last: Christmas cards, wall art and heirloom albums. That takes a little time, and every step matters.
First comes your session. Then you come back to the studio for your reveal, where we look at your images together and choose the pieces for your home and your cards. For Christmas orders, both of those need to happen in October. After that, everything goes to my professional print labs.
And this is the part no one can rush: every lab has Christmas cutoff dates, and they fall in November. Once those dates pass, the labs are simply booked, and no amount of wishing gets your cards printed faster.
Thanksgiving week is also family week for me
I'll be honest with you. Thanksgiving week is the week I usually set aside for my own family. Every now and then I'm able to fit a family in that week, but those few spots are first come, first served, so I'd never want you to count on one.
When to book
To have your Christmas cards and portraits in hand by Christmas, your session and your reveal both need to happen in October, with every choice made by November 1. That means October is the sweet spot. The weather has finally cooled off, the kids are settled into their school routine, and you get to enjoy Christmas instead of scrambling through them.
If you're waiting for everyone to be in town, here's my gentle nudge: pick a Friday with me in October and make a whole weekend of it. Plan a special dinner, a movie night, whatever your family loves, just not Thanksgiving weekend. Your photos get done without the Thanksgiving rush, and your family gets a weekend to remember instead of one more thing to squeeze in.
One session, two photos
I don’t do Christmas tree backdrops or full Christmas sets. Your family portrait should hang on your wall all year long, not come down with the decorations in January. So we start with the portrait for your wall, clean and timeless. Then we have a little fun. A simple wreath, a stack of wrapped gift boxes, maybe the kids peeking over the top. That one is made for the card.
Holiday cards that people keep
Most families end up sending the same template as everyone else on the street. Mine aren't like that. Every card I create is designed custom for your family, around your photos, your personalities and your inside jokes, so no two are ever alike.
The goal is a card people want to keep on the fridge all year, not one that lands in the trash with the junk mail. A photo posted online is one second and gone. A card on the fridge gets seen every single day. Pair it with a portrait for your own wall, and you've captured this exact season of your family, the one you'll never get back.
So let's have fun with them.
Celebrate Hanukkah? Your card gets the same custom treatment.
Let’s get you on the calendar
Christmas and holiday sessions fill quickly, and once my dates are gone, they're gone. The easiest first step is booking a short Discovery Call online at a time that works for you. We'll talk about who's in the photo, what you'd love to hang on your walls, and how to get everything done before Christmas.
Planning a family session? Explore our family photography sessions in McAllen.