The Reality of the 2026 Studio

     I know the unwritten Canadian rule, and I usually respect it: You do not talk about Christmas until the sun sets on Remembrance Day.

      But when your entire business is built on capturing holiday magic, the gears have to start turning in October. Honestly? For me, this business is year-round. I never stop thinking about it, I never stop saving for it, and I never stop spending on it.

     I get that people get put off when I start advertising in September. But the reality is, I don't have a volunteer build crew hanging out at the farm. It is me, myself, and I. It takes a massive amount of time to set up the yard and the studio, and my time is valuable. If I don't start marketing early, the studio doesn't grow, the charity doesn't get funded, and the magic doesn't happen.

     So, with the snow threatening to stick and the 2026 booking calendar officially open, I want to be entirely transparent about the who, what, why, and how of the Every Moment is a Choice Studio this season.

The Brand Shift: Bringing Santa Home

     For the last five years, Social Santa operated almost as its own standalone entity. But this year, we are moving all the marketing and branding under the main Every Moment is a Choice (EMIAC) Studio umbrella, with Social Santa acting as our charitable arm.

     Why? Because missing a message from a parent breaks my heart. Managing multiple accounts across different pages meant things were falling through the cracks. Consolidating everything under the studio ensures I see every message. It also gives the incredible families who have supported Social Santa for the last half-decade a chance to see what I actually do out here all year round.

The Competition and The Choice

      I want to be clear: I am not here to put down other photographers. Every ad I have seen for Alberta Christmas photos this year looks fantastic. But my price point, my mission, and what we actually do here is considerably different from the standard holiday mini-session.

    This year is all about giving you choices.

     You want beautiful family photos but you don't necessarily want Santa sitting in the picture? Great! We will do family photos while Santa hangs out to greet your kids. And our Santa isn't your typical mall Santa who just sits on a bench. He is technically advanced, a little bit goofy, highly interactive, and he gets up and works the room.

The Math: A One-Man Show

     To keep this affordable, I do it all. During your private 15-minute session, I am moving the backdrops, I am taking the pictures using our automated "Santa Magic" remote, and when the night is done, I head into the house to cut, crop, and edit all night long so your gallery is ready the next day.

     Is our $25 booking fee higher than walking into the mall for free? Yes, unfortunately, it is. But you aren't paying for a rushed, 5-minute chaotic line. You are paying for a completely private, sensory-friendly experience.

The Yard and The Straw House

     We don't just decorate a room; we build an experience. I try to decorate as much of my yard as I can afford, adding new things every year.

     This year, we’ve added six interactive face-in-the-hole photo boards. But the biggest addition to the yard is our straw bale house. This is a multi-pronged project. It will be wrapped in lights and decorations, but it’s also an educational piece. I want to show people that you can build a sustainable, incredibly warm structure using small square bales. Even without the roof on, the temperature difference when you step inside those 24-inch thick straw walls is unbelievable.

The Fleece Sets and The Golden Ticket

     Inside the studio, we are changing the game. We are offering three in-house physical fleece backdrops this year: a Rustic Barn, a Peppermint Arch, and our massive North Pole Train. We use this heavy, glare-free fleece because it provides a quiet, tactile anchor for our neurodivergent clients.

     If your family chooses the North Pole Train backdrop this year, your kids will receive a physical, printed Polar Express-style Golden Ticket to hold during the shoot and take home as a memento. Plus, I am working on some incredibly fun, free editing magic on the back end to make those ticket photos truly unique for the kids.

The 2026 Mission: Bypassing the Bureaucracy

     Let's talk about the charity side of things. I tried to go through the official channels this year—the Christmas bureaus and the food banks—to figure out how to officially adopt families. And just like last year with the hospitals, I hit a massive wall of bureaucracy and red tape. They flat-out told me that's not what they do, with zero guidance on how to make it happen.

     So, we are doing it ourselves.

     Normally, I set aside $2,500 of the studio's money to purchase our Patchwork Bears. This year, I have chosen to take that exact same $2,500 and use it to adopt 5 local families directly, specifically prioritizing families who have kids with special needs.

     But looking at the state of our economy, I desperately want to do more than five. To do that, I need local businesses to step up and help me fund them. Here is the deal: if your business sponsors a family, my team does the shopping, and Santa does the delivery.

     Why Santa? Because if a family is struggling to the point of needing to be adopted for Christmas, they most likely cannot afford the simple luxury of getting professional photos or taking their kids to the mall to see Santa. We are bringing that magic directly to their living room.

     I know some incredible local organizations do something similar with large groups of volunteers, but I firmly believe in protecting these families' dignity. Not everyone needs to know you are struggling. This will be entirely private. Santa will make the delivery, and your privacy remains completely intact.

The Digital Leap

     Alongside our physical sets, we are also making a massive leap into Digital Green Screen technology. When you look at our 2026 Lookbook online, you'll see incredible, larger-than-life scenes we can seamlessly drop your family into.

     The studio is evolving, but the core mission hasn't moved an inch. We are here to capture real moments, keep it perfectly imperfect, protect your peace, and help a child in crisis while we do it.

Check out the 2026 Lookbook on the website, and let's make some magic.

Lee J. Kemp

Every Moment Is A Choice Studio 🔗 emiacstudio.ca

Social Santa 2026, EMIAC Studio, Alberta Christmas Photographer, Sensory Friendly Santa, Green Screen Photography, Adopt a Family Alberta, Red Deer Photographer, Patchwork Bears, Central Alberta Charity

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