Santa Claus came early to East Hills on Thursday, surprising more than 80 Roslyn children at Rallye Motors Mercedes dealership on Northern Boulevard.
Rallye Auto Group President and CEO Juliana Terian said the party has been hosted by the company for more than 25 years, bringing holiday cheer to Roslyn school district children as a way to give back to the community.
Children from kindergarten through fourth grade are invited to the party, and the parents RSVP with a recommended gift for the child.
Rallye Auto Group employees pool funds and buy all the gifts, wrapping and labeling them before the party.
“The thing that makes this work is the Rallye Auto Group employees, and we have a group of employees who do this every year,” Terian said. “It’s nice to see the employees do something other than work, especially during our busiest time of the year, and everybody’s face lights up during the party.”
Rallye Auto Group consists of their Mercedes, Lexus, BMW and Acura dealerships as well as their collision center and body shop.
The children arrive on buses and are quickly greeted by a group of cartoon characters before feasting on a late lunch and desserts.
MME Entertainment’s Emcee Mike led a lengthy dance party during the event, dancing with the children to classic Christmas songs as well as popular tunes from Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.
The highlight of the event is when Santa Claus joins the gathering atop a Roslyn Fire Department truck before posing for photos with the students and handing out gifts.
Children received stacks of toys, including dolls, scooters and bicycles. Students ripped into their presents like it was Christmas morning, toting around their new toys while playing with those of their classmates as well.
The corporate headquarters for each dealership also donates gifts for a collective goody bag for each children.
This year, Acura donated hats and gloves, BMW donated water bottles filled with small gifts, Lexus donated jump ropes and Mercedes donated Teddy bears.
Rallye Auto Group sales representative Victor Cosme has worked for the company since 2003 and has served as Santa for the past 11 years.
A father of 7-year-old twins, Cosme said he continues to participate because he loves seeing the children’s faces during the party.
“I grew up very poor, and the smallest toy was the biggest thing to me,” Cosme said. “With these kids, it’s not about how big or small the toy is, but the look on their face is priceless. The joy we bring to these kids, it’s priceless.”
