FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, February 22, 2021—Virtual Santa visits will still be in demand in 2021, according to Mitch Allen, head elf at HireSanta, who was recently featured on Shark Tank.

COVID-19 may have made in-person appearances difficult, but the silver lining included being able to do a different type of storytelling through screens.

“Particularly in high volume malls, you don’t have the same intimacy as you do in virtual visits,” he said. “In virtual visits, you have all the child’s information.”

Another trend is more diversity, he told the New York City Santas during a Feb. 22, 2021 Zoom meeting.

“Some of the highlights this year include a huge increase in hiring diverse Santas,” Mitch said. That means more demand for Mrs. Clauses, Clauses of color, and Santas who know American Sign Language.

Mitch mentioned the company’s guaranteed pay commitment as well as the importance of Santas being on time.

Speaking of timeliness, NYC Santas vice president Gary Dreifus commended HireSanta for paying on time.

“You rarely hear me raving about a group,” Gary said, “but I can’t say enough good things about HireSanta.”

To watch our latest meeting and to see Jenny, the company’s “Santa Wrangler” and face behind the emails, click here.

Connect with HireSanta Santa Claus Entertainers Group on Facebook to view live State of the Season reports every other Thursday at 2 PM Central Time.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY—As of February 2020, New York City is now host to one of the 49 affiliated chapters of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS), the largest Christmas organization in the world. This chapter is the first ever IBRBS group in NYC.

First lines of business include finalizing a name and logo. Stay tuned for a Facebook and Instagram presence along with a list of quarterly events support neighboring chapters, including the Lower Hudson Valley Santas.

President Ann Votaw, Vice President Gary Dreifus, and Secretary George McTyre have thus far discussed field trips, educational events, and meet and greets. One short-term goal is to generate a contact sheet for area Santas (all genders) who may need substitutes during the holiday season. Each event will feature the lastest news from the national IBRBS crew.

All Santas love a good story. Here’s how this one started. A small group of seven Clauses met for coffee Jan. 3, 2020 at the Winter Village at Bryant Park shortly after Christmas. Exhausted, they just wanted to hang out and review the last two busy months. Two of the guys walked from their temporary apartment near Radio City, where they may or may not have still been working. Wink! Wink!

This gathering kick-started the idea of a formal chapter representing Santas in all five boroughs, neighboring areas, and visitors who work in NYC during the season.

An especially big thank you to brothers in red, Keith Carson and Howard Graham, who are on the board of IBRBS. And additional thanks to Nicholas Alan Gillotte and Bernard Prior of the Lower Hudson Valley Santas. Other St. Nicks representing Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Connecticut came to the January coffee meet-up that caused “a stir” among tourists and customers in Bryant Park’s “The Lodge.” The more the merrier.

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