I swear Santa photos get more expensive by the year.

emmasue18 · December 2011

I get that it is a "professional" photo, but my child screams every year and it really is just to document his reaction. Last year, we paid $16 for a 5x7, this year it's $23! I just think it's ridiculous.

Vent over, lol.

JENandJEH · December 2011

Do you have a Bass Pro Shops near you? They have an awesome Santa's Wonderland and it's totally free. You get 1 5x7 for free and can take as many pictures using your own camera as you'd like. You can also purchase additional pictures or just the digital file for $10. We took DS and the Santa was great and there was a great "backdrop" that wasn't your typical velvet chair with solid wall behind it. They even have a fast pass system so you don't have to wait in line!

kyoto · December 2011

I stopped doing Santa photos a few yeas ago. The prices are ridiculous and the pictures suck. Around here, they only sell packages. WTF am I going to do with wallets of my kids with Santa?

Now I let them visit Santa at the mall if they want, but I don't buy the picture. Luckily my neighborhood hosts a 'Breakfast with Santa' event. It's down the street, he's a real-looking Santa, kids get breakfast and I can take all the pics I want with my own camera. For $5.

regenab · December 2011

I refuse to do the Mall Santa and pay the price of the pics. I did Breakfast with Santa at church this year and took my own pics. A lot of the churches and community centers do them and you could probably find one close to your house and do your own pics next year. It cost me $10 because I had 2 kids. The money went for the food, not the Santa.

etude de la vie · December 2011

I refuse to pay $29 to only get a screaming panicked photo. I personally think mall santas are just a large petri dish of bad colds and flus from every kid sneezing and hacking all over him.

Mrs.JLC · December 2011

We completely avoided the mall Santa this year. We did a pancake breakfast and we went to a local non-profit playhouse. Each time we paid for the vent (pancakes, a Christmas show and crafts) and took pictures with our own camera. I snapped a few shots at each event and got some great photos of DD with Santa. We were able to share them digitally with family and order what ever size we wanted for our scrap book, frame, etc. Both experiences were far better than waiting in a line of screaming kids. I'm sure that your area probably has some events like the ones people have mentioned. I highly recommend doing this next year.