We all know that the annual pilgrimage to see Santa and try to get a pic of him with the kids can lead to a less-than-perfect result.
When you add sand, sun, and a red kelpie to the mix, that photo can be hilarious.
When Ti'ana Meston took her kids Indy-ana, 7, Jok, 4, and Clay, 2, to a photoshoot at Redhead beach, near Newcastle, she took along Reggie, the family dog, to help make her youngest more at ease with the big man in red.
Of course Reggie was more interested in leaving his mark on the driftwood Christmas tree - and the photographer, Jade Dawson of JadyBug Photography, knew it would make the perfect shot.
Reggie's presence didn't calm Clay, either - the toddler is clearly unhappy with the situation and is crying.
Luckily, Ms Meston said she loves the image: "I'm actually picking up a canvas of it."
Ms Dawson heads to Redhead and Blacksmiths beaches for families to capture Aussie Christmas photos, complete with Santa in boardies, thongs and a straw hat.
Word of mouth had kept her busy this silly season, with her beach Santa photo sessions fully booked out.
"Pretty much after every photo shoot I do and I put a preview up, I get a minimum of 50 more enquiries," she said.
- with Newcastle Herald
