the making of the magic
2011
A 4-year-old (and future founder of Santa’s Surprise Squad) watches his sisters in a Christmas flash mob at his local mall. That moment sticks with him for over a decade. (Courtesy, Glenn Moore: Tracy Press)
September 2023
While doodling in the back of Ms. Henry’s 1st period Chemistry class at Tracy High School , our founder sketched out the idea for a small group of holiday flash-mob performers supporting foster youth. That same day, applications to join the team went live, open only to those under 18!
October 2023
By the time Halloween rolled around, SSS was ready to rehearse. With a small but committed team, we spent day in and day out at a local dance studio that took a chance on us, learning, sweating, and slowly mastering our very first set of choreography.
December 2023
With one pocket-sized JBL speaker and a whole lot of nerves, SSS performed its very first flash mob at Weberstown Mall. The performance was messy, chaotic, and totally unforgettable, and thanks to the incredibly trusting mall management, the crowd loved every second.
Fun fact: We still surprise them there from time to time.
Summer 2024
We spent the off-season laying the foundation for the future. New branding, outreach to cities across the Central Valley, and planning for the future of Santa’s Surprise Squad.
January 2024
After our first season wrapped, with fewer donations than we hoped, we made a tough but exciting call: Santa’s Surprise Squad was officially becoming a year-round project. And just like that, we kept going.
Today
What started as a one-person idea is now one of Northern California’s most rapidly growing flash-mob programs.
Our director team has expanded to six dedicated leaders, our inbox is filled with foster agencies and sponsors eager to collaborate, and performers are registering from across the entire Central Valley–Bay Area corridor.
We’ve undergone a massive, high-impact rebrand, leveled up our production, and built something bigger than we ever imagined.
And yet, with all that’s changed, one thing hasn’t:
Our heart. Our mission. Our joy.
We’ll carry that into everything we do this 2025 season, and beyond.
Thank YOU for supporting Santa’s Surprise Squad.
