It feels wild to say this, but we’re headed toward Christmas already.

This year has gone so fast. It’s not been an easy one, so it does kind of make sense for it to have flown by – but it’s still always shocking when we get this close to the end of the year and it feels like new years was just yesterday! In just a few weeks, it’s going to be Christmas morning – or the morning(s) related to the winter holiday your family celebrates, whether that’s Solstice, or Hanukkah!

And with these holiday mornings, come experiences you want to relive year after year, and in 2025, that means something different than it did in 1997. It means, more and more every year, living life through your phone.

We spend so much of our time living through our phones

Look, I’m a mom, I get it. I point my phone at my kiddos as much as the next mom in 2025. And I love it! Capturing those little moments, making sure I have documentation I can look back on, whether it’s a silly moment or a serious one. As a photographer, sometimes for me that also means using my actual camera – but more often than not, it’s my phone. In those casual moments at home, it doesn’t make sense to get all professional, right?

And I’m sure you’re the same way. Filming that recital on your phone, while your daughter dances, so that you can look back on it. Taking pictures of your son while he competes in gymnastics, because you want to show him the smile on his face. Getting video of your family’s new addition making that adorable face they make when they sleep. Everyday moments that absolutely deserve to be captured, don’t get me wrong!

But there’s another side of the coin there. When you’re pointing your phone at your loved ones while they’re experiencing something… you’re not experiencing it with them. You’re looking at your phone.

You deserve to EXPERIENCE Christmas morning with your kiddos!

Both you AND your kids deserve to have memories where there just aren’t phones in the equation. And I get it, that’s HARD to think about. Our phones are so attached to us, that we’re just used to living life through them. It almost feels real now, too. We’re filming the moment they blow out the candles, or when they walk across the stage – but how much more powerful is it to just… live those moments? To live that wonky smile they smile when they open the perfect gift from Santa? You deserve to get to do that, without being constant documentarian of your family’s life. And your kiddos deserve to have memories with you where there isn’t a phone in sight. Where you’re focused on THEM, not focused on framing the moment. Life doesn’t need to have your phone as an intermediary all the time, even though we tend to live life like it does.

To be clear, what I’m suggesting here isn’t abandoning your phone – it’s taking a FEW snaps, and then… putting it away. So that you get to see your own life through your own eyes, instead of through a lens. I totally understand that asking you to stick it in a box and not touch it is unrealistic, and honestly, that’s just the pendulum swinging too far in the other direction. Everything in moderation, right?

Schedule a devoted holiday session instead, and live REAL LIFE this holiday season

“But Jessie! How will I have holiday photos if I don’t take them??” Great question Mama, and I’ve got you covered. Book. Holiday. Photos. Living your real life with your own eyes isn’t the only benefit that comes with booking a holiday session, too! There are all kinds of other bonuses on top of that. You get to experience Christmas morning with your kiddos without worrying about capturing every single smile, yes. But you also… are IN THE PHOTOS yourself!

Think about it. Those Christmas morning photos? The ones you take every year, without fail? Who’s behind the camera? Usually, YOU. Which means, you’re not in them. What makes a more powerful memory for your family? A photo with ALL of you, enjoying yourself? Or a photo where your presence is just implied by the fact that someone had to be taking the picture? That was mostly rhetorical, in case it wasn’t clear. Obviously the answer is a photo you’re actually in. Photographs are memories, and your kiddos are going to want to go back through those memories later in life – and when they do, it’s going to be so much more magical if you’re also there, beside them. Not there, in front of them.

We Can get Creative!

Whether you want a session where we literally make a mock-Christmas-morning here in the studio (yes, we can ABSOLUTELY do that!) or you’re happy to book in one of the variety of Christmas mini sessions I have available on the calendar, we can capture powerful memories for you, so you get to live real life, as it happens. You get the best of all possible worlds! And that’s a win-win-win in my book.

I still have limited holiday sessions available, and if you want one… it’s yours!

I know we’re late in the season, but because my holiday minis are so popular, I keep adding more!! As of the time of writing, there are absolutely sessions available that you can grab. Whether you want something that feels classic and timeless, or you want to give your kiddos the magic of spending time with Santa himself – there’s a session that will fit your family’s needs.

And of course, I’m always open to creating custom sessions, that are specifically designed for you and your family! Like I said, mock-Christmas-morning is totally on the table. Plus, how cool is it for your little ones, to end up with an extra, surprise Christmas?? So reach out, and let’s have a conversation about how Jessica Strobel Photography can help you more authentically experience those big moments, and those little smiles. They’re only going to have so many Christmases before the magic changes – and you deserve to live every single one of them!