Here comes Santa and Santa and Santa for 18th annual gathering on Cape Cod

Gwenn Friss, Cape Cod Times
·2 min read

You don’t need an appointment to see Santa this weekend because at least 111 Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves (plus one full-size sleigh) will sled in for the 18th Annual Northeast Santa Gathering at the Aiden by Best Western in West Yarmouth.

“We’ll be seeing a whole lot of red very soon,” said Patti Lloyd, senior vice president of sales at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the annual event.

The Aiden lobby will have a Santa – or 10 – available for free photos, small gifts and chats with children. Photo opportunities in the vendor area are available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 5, and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 6. There are no pet photos scheduled, but all human children are welcome.

Santas greet passing traffic after a group photo outside the Irish Village as part of the Northeast Santa Convention weekend of activities held there in 2016.
Santas greet passing traffic after a group photo outside the Irish Village as part of the Northeast Santa Convention weekend of activities held there in 2016.

“Don’t worry,” Lloyd reassured, “about there being more than one Santa at a time. The Santas know how to explain that they are all helpers who work with the big Santa.”

That is the kind of finesse these professional Santas learn during classes offered at the annual gathering. One such class teaches the guy in red how to better communicate with children who are blind or deaf.

“They have a sign language interpreter teach Santa some basic sign language,” Lloyd said.

Some years see classes in proper beard trimming.

The 2019 Santa vendor fair included hair and beard help. That conference was held at the Cape Codder Resort.
The 2019 Santa vendor fair included hair and beard help. That conference was held at the Cape Codder Resort.

The Santas will gather for an awards night with a traditional turkey dinner. The gathering also has a fair featuring vendors for Santa’s needs, Lloyd said, including a new boot dealer this year.

Santas love to compete and show off their new duds

“They have a friendly competition,” she said of the Santas. “They love to show off new buckles or beards or boots.”

The gathering includes a silent auction, which is open to the public, Lloyd said.

Santas take phone camera photos of each other before the parade at the Irish Village which played host to the annual Northeast Santa Cape Cod Celebration in 2013.
Santas take phone camera photos of each other before the parade at the Irish Village which played host to the annual Northeast Santa Cape Cod Celebration in 2013.

Santas from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Delaware, New York, and Florida are participating.

While the gathering is based at the Aiden, you may run into the big guy in red at other Cape locations as Santa dines, shops and visits local attractions.

“Prepare to catch a little Christmas spirit in Spring as the Santas make their way around the Cape and the venue during the weekend,” according to a written release about the event.

Lloyd says all this red translates to a lot of green as the Santas stay in local hotels, eat out and otherwise spend money on Cape Cod. Many of the professional St. Nicks also buy the novelties they give out on Cape or at the gathering.

“These guys make their living as Santa, but they bring such magic to it,” Lloyd said. “The gathering is a wonderful place to be.”

For more information, visit You can find out more information, visit https://thenortheastsantas.com/ or call Lloyd at 508-962-3856.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: See Santa May 5-6 in Yarmouth as part of annual gathering of Santas