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The Sleigh Rider
- New York City, NY
- Santa Claus
- Travels up to 25 miles
- $500 - $1000
Overview
A premier real bearded Santa with sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks and a jolly personality, The Sleigh Rider is the embodiment of the true “Spirit of Santa”. He loves to spread good cheer, and is passionate about bringing hope and joy into the lives of children and adults alike. His enthusiasm for the magic and wonder of the Christmas season is infectious and will make you believe you have spent time with the real Santa.
The Sleigh Rider is available for home visits, Christmas Eve Sneak-A-Peek, Christmas morning surprises, private parties, corporate events, photo sessions, trade shows, festivals, parades, marketing promotions, story-time and TV/radio/print ads.
14 Reviews
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Santa was amazing at our event. Everyone loved him and he really was so jolly and kind. Definitely plan to have him come again next year!!!
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you for the kind words Suzy. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and had a great time with the children and their families. I will gladly come back anytime you need me.
Santa
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The Sleigh Rider was simply amazing! He brought so much fun to our residents and took his time to chat with each and every kid and adult. I would definitely recommend him to everyone!
Thank you, Sleigh Rider, for making our party unforgettable!
Holiday Entertainment
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Emil,
It was an amazing evening and I truly enjoyed meeting the residents. It was a very magical evening and I thank you for inviting me
Santa
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The sleigh rider was such an awesome surprise for my family on Christmas Eve. Thank you!
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Best Christmas Eve ever thanks to Santa’s visit. Kids and adults were all amazed by the magic of Christmas !!!
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Stephen, your family was amazing and made Christmas Eve very magical.
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Santa was excellent!! He is part of the family now. Wouldn't be a Christmas Party without him.
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Richie, you and your family have always been a favorite stop for this Jolly Ole Elf. This year was extremely special with you allowing me to present the biggest gift of all.
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This is the 2nd year we've had Sleigh Rider for our annual Holiday Party and he has been absolutely amazing. He is fun, engaging and very professional! We love him and can't wait to have him back next year again :)
Holiday Entertainment, Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Kali,
You are an amazing host and you make it so easy to have fun and be magical. I look forward to seeing you next year.
Santa
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The best Santa you could ever wish for!
Corporate Entertainment
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Amelie, you and your team made everything magical.
Santa
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He was great my kids loved it, he is the real deal santa claus me and my family would use him again next year!
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Anthony,
You have an awesome family and I enjoyed spending Christmas Eve with you. I hope that you and the family have an amazing New Year.
Santa
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Santa Claus was the staple at our event at Yankee Stadium. He worked with us on such short notice and was able to get us all the necessary information quicker than most! He was EARLY, worked under cold weather conditions, and overall was willing to work with us to ensure the success of the event. We will definitely be booking him again for our event next year! Highly recommend him for anyone's event!
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Heidy, you and everyone else involved with the Winter Wonderland event are amazing. You made me feel welcome and appreciated and I got to meet thousands of children, how awesome is that. It’s amazing how such a great organization as the NY Yankee’s pays it forward.
Thank you
Santa
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Absolutely incredible!!! We loved him! The kids were ecstatic! Wonderful evening with a wonderful Santa!
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Kali for sharing your family and friends with this Jolly Ole Elf. I wish you the merriest Christmas and an amazing New Year.
Santa
![](https://cress.gigsalad.com/images/initial-icons/initial-a.png)
Santa was wonderful ! I highly recommend him ! He is the REAL ONE !
Children’s Party Entertainment, Corporate Entertainment, Holiday Entertainment, Storyteller, Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Amelie for such a nice review. I really enjoyed working with you and your team to make the evening a success for your client. You are a true professional and made my time with you very magical.
Santa
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Santa g created an amazing unforgettable experience for my daughter’s birthday.
Santa Claus
![](https://cress.gigsalad.com/images/initial-icons/initial-d.png)
Santa g created an amazing unforgettable experience for my daughter’s birthday.
Santa Claus
Response from The Sleigh Rider:
Thank you Donald, I had a magical time at Ever’s party. It was truly a pleasure meeting all your family and friends. By the way thank you for turning Santas sleigh into a purple Ferrari.
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My kids loved it! Definitely recommend Santa Gary! I appreciate it and look forward to next years experience!
Booking Info
Price Range: $500 - $1000
Gig Length: 60 - 300 minutes
Languages: English
Insurance: $2,000,000 - Santa liability insurance policy.
What to Expect
The Sleigh Rider is passionate about representing the true spirit of Santa and bringing hope and joy into the lives of children and adults alike. Whether you need a big professional stage presence or a never-forget-personal family visit, or perhaps an animated photo shoot, you won’t do better than the magic of the real jolly old elf.
I can customize my services to meet your needs to bring your party or event to the highest level of satisfaction for your guests and clientele. Listed below are a few suggestions.
Bring Santa Claus to your home:
A personal visit with Santa can be arranged at your home. You can invite neighborhood friends or just have your own family present, it’s your choice. Think of the photos and the memories you will provide for your loved ones. Santa comes prepared to tell stories about the North Pole, his reindeer, the elves and more.
Story-time with Santa:
Santa answers the many questions that children have been asking for years. "What happens if we catch you in our house on Christmas Eve?" "How did the reindeer get their names?" "Is Bernard really the head Elf?" "What's your favorite cookie?" "All of these questions and more are answered during story-time. You and your children will experience the wonder of Santa and discover the secrets of the North Pole.
Corporate Events:
Company Christmas Parties, Christmas Tree Lighting, Visits and Photos with Employee's Families and Story-time with Santa. Having Santa at your event is a nice way of saying “Thank You” to the people that have made your company great. It lifts their spirits and mood for the coming New Year.
Hotels & Resorts:
Tea with Santa, Story-time with Santa, Employee Christmas Parties, Santa Tuck-In Service for your Guests. The possibilities for Christmas are limitless. Your guests will remember being away from home on Christmas and think about what they experienced in their home-away-from-home. Have you ever heard Santa doing story-time in the lobby? Better yet, can you imagine their surprise when Santa comes to their room to tuck them in? How do you set yourself apart from the competition? Offer your guests something they can’t find elsewhere…Christmas Magic!
Associations:
What better way is there to bring the families in your community together for the holidays than with Santa Claus! This year I would like to work with your association to make a visit with Santa Claus a fun, personal and truly enjoyable experience without any of the long lines associated with the traditional mall visit. You provide the location and chair, bring your cameras or have a professional photographer take individual and/or family pictures.
Private Clubs:
Hire The Sleigh Rider, arrange for a photographer and offer your members an opportunity to have family photos taken by appointment. Members love it because they don’t have to stand in the long lines at a local mall. For added enjoyment include "Story-time with Santa" to allow the children time to relax and get to know the Jolly old elf.
About
I am a real-bearded Santa Claus with numerous high-quality suits. I have been making appearances at homes, private parties, corporate events and photo shoots for many years. As a professional Santa, I take pride in being on time and always in character, friendly, and good with both adults and children.
"The Sleigh Rider" (Gary Hall) attended The Northern Lights Santa Academy, The Santa Claus Conservatory, Santa Claus University, is a member of The International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS), and his beard is registered in The International Beard Registry #7867.
Additional Booking Notes
What Santa expects from you:
Have a well built sturdy chair for Santa - no rockers and no wheels. Do NOT place the chair near a fireplace or heater because the suit is warm enough without that extra heat. If you plan to take pictures, position the chair near something decorative like a Christmas tree. Be sure to leave enough room for families to gather around Santa (both sides and behind too).
If you plan to have Santa hand out gifts, please have them labeled clearly in large print. Arrangements can also be made to meet Santa before hand so that Santa can bring the gifts in his bag.
If you plan to have children sit on Santa's knee for pictures, please have at least two helpers available. One helper to lift the children and the other for crowd control to keep the line of kids awaiting their turn out of the pictures.
Influences & Inspiration
I love the human characteristics that both Edmund Gwenn, in "Miracle on 34th Street", and Tim Allen, in "The Santa Clause", brought to the character of Santa Claus. I have always been enamored with the presentation of Santa in the Coca-Cola ads.
Setup Requirements
HAVE YOUR CAMERA READY Be sure to have all cameras, camcorders and fresh batteries necessary to take the photos you want.
SANTA’S ARRIVAL Santa's suit is quite warm, so keep a parking place close to your event available which will help keep Santa cool and on time. Ideally, Santa’s arrival should be out of view of your guests. If you have gifts for Santa to hand out, then wor
GIFTS FROM SANTA Santa will be glad to hand out one bag of presents you provide (no more than can fit in a 30 gallon trash bag) for children or guests. Gifts should be labeled in a very legible handwriting, and if there are any challenging pronunciations
HAVE A SPECIAL CHAIR FOR SANTA Santa needs a chair that is sturdy and stable that will support him plus a child on each knee. A good, sturdy straight-back dining chair with no arms works well. Place the chair in a good setting and your photos will have mo
SANTA STAYS IN CHARACTER This is very important and something most adults don't thinking about. During your visit I am Santa Claus. Please don’t ask questions about when I started playing Santa or where did I get my costumes. It’s very important that you
GATHER BEFORE SANTA ENTERS Timing is everything. You and Santa will coordinate a call when he is five minutes away from arriving. That’s your cue to have someone go outside to meet Santa, and for you to get everyone together and ready for the visit. If Sa