National Santa

National Santa is experienced in working almost every type of event from a simple home visit to live television appearances for audiences from 300 to 300,000. He is a professional Master of Ceremonies, Corporate Spokesperson, Singer and can also do Comedy. He has a magnetic personality and is in high demand for media events and special programs.
He has been the personal Santa for celebrity and dignitaries home visits and events including Dr. Phil, Reese Witherspoon, Candi Spelling, Jimmy Ione, Marvin Davis and Stephen Speilberg.
Additionally, he has worked major media events for NYSE, Hallmark, ABC, CBS, NBC, Grand Ol Opry, Coca-Cola, K-Mart, Hershey's, Abbot Laboratories/Binax, Old Navy, Auntie Ann's, J C Penney, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines.

• NationalSanta™ - Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
• Santa - Mariah Carey Concerts and television special from MSG
• 20 years as Official Santa for the Hollywood Christmas Parade.
• Producer of “Discover Santa 2016” the World’s largest Santa Convention.
• One of America’s foremost experts on Santa Claus & the Business of Santa.
• Santa in commercials for Oreo, Sears, Target, Dannon, Swisscom, Ritz, Cool Whip, Planters, & More
• Celebrity spokesperson for major national and corporate promotions
• Author – “Behind the Red Suit – the Business of Santa” and "Santa's Hints for Surviving the Holidays"
• 2011 Inductee – International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.
• Graduated over 5,000 Santas & Mrs. Claus from his School4Santas!
• Former President to one of America’s Largest Santa Groups.

Hand-picked by Hollywood’s Original Honorary Mayor, Johnny Grant, Connaghan is now celebrating 55 years of wearing the Red Suit, & over 20 years as the Official Santa for the Hollywood Christmas Parade. In addition, he serves as the “NationalSanta™,” for the Marine Corps Reserve, “Toys for Tots.”

Seen by millions on Dr. Phil, The Today Show, CBS Morning Show, Fox and Friends, The Mariah Carey CBS Christmas Special, The Grand Ole Opry, NASCAR, Magical Maui Christmas, The Tonight Show, The Doctors, Mad-TV, Deal or No Deal, & Ryan Seacrest Show, he has acted in movies & television shows, including: “Castle,” “It’s Complicated,” “Southland,” “Suburgatory,” “Cinema Vérité,” “The Mentalist,” and many more.

NationalSanta™ is a major figure at national and international televised events, tree lightings and parades. He appears at corporate events for Fortune 500 companies and at many celebrity parties. Millions of children & their families have been delighted with appearances from Santa Tim. These include Capitol Records, ABC, Paramount/CBS, Hallmark Channel, NBC/Universal, New York Marriott Marquis, NYSE (New York Stock Exchange), Los Angeles Country Club, The Salvation Army, The St. Regis Resort & Spa, K-Mart, The USO, Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw, Reese Witherspoon, Candy Spelling, Joel Silver, Marvin & Barbara Davis & Steven Spielberg.

He is in high demand for corporations, organizations & media promotions, advertising & commercials having worked for Coca-Cola, Sears, Microsoft, Toys for Tots NYSE, Amazon, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, David Letterman, Hershey’s, The Grove Los Angeles, I-Hop, In-N-Out Burgers, KIIS-FM, Kraft, Nabisco, Target, Planter's, Ritz, Macy’s, McDonalds, Southwest Airlines, Vons Corporation, The Regent Beverly Wilshire, Old Navy, The Kodak Theater, Disney, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Clubs, Honey Baked Ham, & Cool Whip. He has also appeared on five catalog covers for J.C. Penney, and international commercials for Dannon, Swiss-Com and Oreo’s. Additionally, he has served as a celebrity spokesperson for Old Navy, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Abbott Labratory/BinaxNow, and many other national brands.

To help make National Santa’s visit/appearance a most enjoyable event, we have prepared the following list of suggestions. Some of these may apply to your event and we hope this will assist you.

1. National Santa's appearances are a minimum of 2-hour on stage or for the public.
2. Each venue is different. Santa is a senior citizen and needs to park as close as possible to the event location. If at home, a car could back down the driveway a little, leaving a space in front of the car. When Santa arrives, the host could pull the car up and Santa parks behind it. Or, put a temporary barrier in the space reserved for Santa. Use a box, a chair, or a sawhorse. Have some fun; put a sign out “Reserved for Santa!”
3. NationalSanta has the option of arriving fifteen to thirty minutes in advance, in full “red” wardrobe, unless otherwise requested to arrive incognito. If incognito, he will often arrive thirty to sixty minutes in advance and client needs to plan for him to change into his wardrobe.
For Early morning schedules, before 10:00 am, and late-night schedules, after 7 pm, or rigorous work, pre or post event lodging near the venue may be necessary. This is a definite for NYC or if the work is outside of Santa's normal work area. Additionally, transportation to and from the venue may be required.
4. Depending on the event, location, and times, etc., it may be necessary for Santa to have a dressing area with privacy. This is normally when he is coming direct from the train station or airport or departing direct to the train station or airport. The dressing area does not need to be a formal dressing room and can be a simple meeting room with restroom nearby, or a standard restroom that has privacy for Santa to change and take care of his hair and makeup. In this case you will need to supply a restroom or office where he can change in privacy.
5. National Santa has his own wardrobe and takes care of his own hair styling and make-up, whether for a normal public event or television. Of course, the client can consult with National Santa and arrange other details as they desire.
6. Sometimes Santa may arrive in full wardrobe and in this case, he may ask that a host or guide meet his car as he arrives and help guide him to the venue. This is important, especially if there is more than one company or corporation in the building. Having a guide allows him to quickly get to your locations without being stopped or being the victim of a friendly hijack by another company. The Host can also assist Santa with details on the venue and help load any presents.
7. If there is a balance or payment due NationalSanta will discuss to Santa, place it inside a Christmas card or envelope. Never give Santa money in front of the Children. It can ruin the magic of the moment. The host or coordinator meeting Santa outside should take care of any final payments that are due before Santa enters.
8. Have a sturdy chair or Santa-throne for if the work is sitting for photos. The seat must not be any higher than eighteen inches or have a stool that compensates for a higher seat. Or you can supply a sturdy chair for Santa to sit in. Folding and resin chairs are unacceptable as they will not support the weight of Santa and guests sitting on his lap. Additionally low chairs (the one’s you sink into) are not good. Santa usually likes a chair that is sturdy and stable. A good straight-back dining chair, with no arms, works well. He should be able to sit comfortably, and the chair needs to support him plus a child on each knee.
Place the Chair near your Christmas tree or in a holiday setting. Your photos will have more impact when the background has a festive look. Place a wreath, a few Christmas cards, or your children’s drawings on the wall to make a wonderful difference. Leave a foot or two between the chair and the tree or wall. This will allow room for others to gather around and behind Santa’s chair for group photos. Fireplaces do look nice but remember putting Santa too close to a real fire is not good for his comfort or health! Additionally, if any fire is with natural wood, the creosote and smoke residue can permanently damage Santa's suit and especially his fur. The client will be liable for the cost of deep cleaning and any repairs to the Suit, Robe, and/or hat.
9. It is recommended that set temperature be around 65 Degrees or that something is arranged to keep Santa cool while working. Due to Santas thick and heavy wardrobe, efforts must be made to keep him cool and comfortable to ensure peak performance for the client. If working on a set or special venue where the temperatures could exceed 75 - 80 degrees, a small fan nearby is necessary to keep him cool.
10. If the work involves moving around the city, limousine or Livery SUV is required with maximum Air Conditioning and Large doors for ease in entering and exiting. This is necessary due to the restrictions of his wardrobe, etc.
11. Cool Water is always necessary, and appropriate performance breaks are necessary, usually ten minutes after the first hour and then hourly after that. If this is an all-day job, a lunch break should be scheduled half-way through, however this can be adjusted to fit the event.
12. MEALS - Please note that due to his 'Real" white beard, any meals or foods must be easy to eat. National Santa wants to look his best for you, so please no Pizza, Ribs, Chicken Wings, or anything with Marinara sauce, or other dark sauces, which could end up in his beard or mustache. Most Salads, sandwiches, etc. are fine as he can make sure everything is bite sized and can easily get past the beard and moustache and into his mouth. Oh, and straws help him in drinking any beverage without tell-tale signs.
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