The Final Days of the Christmas Season
In homes across America, the gifts have been opened, wrapping paper and bows strewn about living rooms. A stout, elderly man in a magic sleigh propelled by flying reindeer delivered toys to children in every celebrating household across the land. The whirlwind 2025 Christmas season may be a wrap, but a Santa Claus’ work is never done.
A Santa’s Schedule and Breaks
After an arduous and full-to-the-brim schedule of public appearances, photoshoots and video sessions over the last two months, Tim Connaghan, the self-professed America’s Premiere Celebrity Santa, is ready to unwind. First stop, a Hawaiian vacation with his family the day after Christmas. Then he will spend time at sea with other Santas to reflect on this year’s holiday and brainstorm ideas for the next season.
“In February, we have 160 Santas and their wives going to the Caribbean,” Connaghan, 77, said. “The real Santa will be on board. You just have to guess which one it is. That’s what we tell the kids.”
A Heartfelt Encounter with the Little Sisters
The sisters, wearing candy cane-striped ribbons in their hair and matching red sweaters emblazoned with reindeer and hearts, had made the traditional trek to Times Square from the Upper East Side of Manhattan with their parents. They posed for annual pictures with Santa Claus – and assured him they had been very good this year. They peppered Santa with questions about his sleigh and reindeer.
Dress Codes: Why Santa Claus Wears a Red and White Suit
Nearby, a trio in Victorian dress sang Christmas carols. The girls bid Santa farewell with hugs. Connaghan is an irrepressible talker and a veteran of the Kriss Kringle circuit since 1969.
Tim Connaghan’s Longstanding Role as Santa
During this holiday season, the Summerville, South Carolina, resident lived in a suite at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York, greeting pint-size hotel guests and their parents at breakfast and dinner, posing for pictures and recording personalized videos for little ones. In between, appearances at corporate parties and charity events packed his schedule.
In his suite on the 29th floor of the hotel earlier this month, Connaghan slipped out of a hoodie and a pair of Levi’s and into a white fur-trimmed…
