Deployed Love Holiday Mini Sessions 2025: A Season of Joy, Connection, and Community

Every fall, as the air gets cooler (and in Hawai‘i, just a little breezier), Deployed Love teams across the country begin preparing for one of our most meaningful traditions — our Holiday Mini Sessions. These sessions are more than photos; they are treasured memories, gifts of love sent across oceans, and reminders that military families are never alone during deployment.

This year, Holiday Mini Sessions 2025 brought holiday magic to five incredible military installations: Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, Fort Carson, Nellis AFB, and Schofield Barracks. Each location, each photographer, and each volunteer came together to create something truly beautiful — moments of connection that families will cherish long after the season has passed.

Holiday Magic From Coast to Coast (and Across the Pacific!)

Whether families were standing under Carolina pines, Colorado’s open sky, the bright lights of Nevada, Georgia’s warm fall sun, or the tropical beauty of Hawai‘i, every session was filled with joy, laughter, and love.

And of course — Santa and Mrs. Claus made appearances, bringing comfort and excitement to little ones missing a deployed parent. Their warm smiles, gentle words, and festive spirit helped fill a space that deployment often leaves behind. For many families, these photos become treasured keepsakes sent to mom or dad overseas — a little bit of holiday magic delivered straight to a deployed heart.

A Celebration of Support and Community

What makes Deployed Love Holiday Mini Sessions truly special is not just the photos — it's the community behind them. From the first planning meeting to the final gallery delivery, each moment is fueled by a shared mission: to support military families during the hardest seasons of military life.

This year, we saw:

✨ Volunteers spending hours crafting sets, greeting families, comforting nervous little ones, and lending a helping hand at every turn.

✨ Photographers generously giving their time and talent to capture moments that will be loved for a lifetime.

✨ Sponsors stepping up to ensure these events remain completely free for deployed families — making holiday joy accessible to all.

✨ Military families showing up with courage, joy, and resilience, even in seasons of separation.

Together, you created something extraordinary.

Endless Gratitude to Our Community

To every volunteer, photographer, sponsor, and supporter — we cannot thank you enough. Your dedication, creativity, and passion are the heartbeat of these events. Because of you, thousands of deployed families across the nation will open a holiday message filled with love, connection, and joy.

Your service doesn’t just make a difference — it changes lives.

Looking Ahead to 2026: Even More Magic on the Horizon

As we wrap up an incredible 2025 holiday season, we are already dreaming of what's ahead. Next year, you can look forward to:

🎨 Purple Up events in April, honoring and celebrating the remarkable resilience of military children.

🎄 Holiday Mini Sessions in Fall 2026, continuing our mission to spread joy and connection to deployed families across the country.

We are excited to grow, create, and connect with even more families in the year ahead.

Thank You for Being Part of the Deployed Love Family

To our families — thank you for trusting us with your memories, your time, and your hearts. To our volunteers — thank you for sharing your gifts so generously. To our sponsors — thank you for believing in our mission. To our photographers — thank you for capturing the spirit of connection that defines our military community.

Here's to another beautiful year of supporting, honoring, and loving those who serve and the families who stand beside them. 💛✨