Santa Rick Rosenthal, Dean and Instructor

Santa Rick first set his boots on the path towards a Santa career in 1968 and has been perfecting his persona ever since. Passionate about representing the true spirit of Santa while bringing hope and joy into the lives of children and adults alike, he embodies the sentiment “the world belongs to the children”.

A consummate professional, Santa Rick has graduated from, and instructed at several prestigious Santa schools and universities where he consistently advocates professionalism and integrity in the Santa industry.  He is also a member of the IBRBS Education Committee. As an expert in the industry he founded the Northern Lights Santa Academy with a goal of educating, preparing, and energizing student for the monumental responsibility of being Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and Elves.

As the Santa for the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons since 2013, Santa Rick is an ambassador of the Christmas spirit to thousands of fans each year. In 2016 Santa Rick was selected as the brand ambassador for an international video chat app making Santa easily accessible to families at home. Santa Rick not only serves clients throughout the United States, but has international clients as well, recently appearing in Hong Kong during the 2018 season. When he’s not delighting children and adults alike, Santa Rick mentors other holiday professionals and serves as an agent for his company, the National Santa Agency, which provides Santas, Mrs. Claus and Elves for clients around the country.

Santa Rick has been featured on NPR's Storytellers and has appeared on NPR's "A Closer Look" with Rose Scott, Atlanta & Company on 11 Alive, Fox 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV Channel 2. He has been featured in articles in Fox News, CNBC, Atlanta Magazine, Reporter Newpapers, Atlanta Senior Life Magazine, the New York Post, Business Insider, the Hong Kong Standard, The Times of Israel, and newspapers in Turkey, Sweden and Germany.

A committed member of the community, Santa Rick has volunteered for several organizations including Big Brothers of America, Boy Scouts of America, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Toys for Tots, United Cerebral Palsy, and the Georgia Aquarium.

Santa Rick's professional affiliations include the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas and his beard is registered with the National Beard Registry (#7655). In 2018 Santa Rick was inducted into the prestigious Knights of St. Nicholas, an elite organization within the Santa industry that upholds the principles of the Santa Claus Oath and currently has less than 40 inductees worldwide. And in 2023, Santa Rick was extremely honored to be inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.

When he is not at the North Pole, Santa Rick enjoys gardening, singing, and metal detecting.