Wallingford Family To Be Featured On 'Shark Tank' Holiday Episode

WALLINGFORD, CT — When Wallingford’s Chris and Elisa Cirri started a tradition several years ago with their children’s letters to Santa, they never imagined it would become a business and garner national attention.

But on Friday night, the husband-and-wife team will be featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank” pitching their “Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox” product. The “Shark Tank” holiday episode will air at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 and will be shown again on Christmas Eve at 10 p.m.

Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox aims to help children communicate with the North Pole.

“Write your letter, place it in one of the included envelopes and insert it into the mailbox,” reads the description on the company’s website. “After closing the door, raise the Flag and you will hear a magical song and chime. When the mailbox is reopened, your letter has MAGICALLY disappeared.”

Chris and Elisa came up with the idea for Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox in 2016, and with the help of some family members, launched the product that has been featured at some national retailers and now on “Shark Tank.”

“When Elisa and I created this tradition at home several years ago with a cardboard mailbox, never in our wildest dreams would we envision this product becoming what it is today,” Chris told Patch.

Elisa said when parents send them videos of their children having fun with their product, “we get very emotional watching our tradition being enjoyed all over the world.”

They’ve had people tell them over the past several years that their product should be on “Shark Tank,” but never thought they would be there in front of the sharks.

“Since the beginning of our little company we have been encouraged by family, friends, and even strangers that this product should appear on Shark Tank,” Chris said. “Stepping foot on that set and facing the sharks head-on was beyond surreal.”

Chris said it was “an amazing experience, both exciting yet mortifying at the same time.”

“We put our heart and soul into this product and I believe America will see that on TV,” he said. “This is not our full-time jobs, my wife owns a hair salon (Imagine Hair Studio) in Wallingford and I work in the credit card industry. So, we spend every extra moment we have working on this while we are not raising our three little boys.”

Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox certainly represents a family business, according to Chris. He credited his step-father-in-law Dave Seales, a retired engineer, with bringing the expertise and making the product actually work. His brother-in-law Steve Signore, Elisa’s brother, got involved with the overall design and pitching the product. Chris said his brother, Anthony Cirri, also contributed.

Chris said just making it this far and pitching the product on “Shark Tank” was the culmination of all the hard work and time that was put into it.

“We have poured our heart and soul into this product,” Chris said. “With the help of our family and the support of our friends and community, we now have the opportunity to sit back and watch our product appear on one of the most popular shows in America. We are extremely grateful for everyone who has helped us along the way.”

Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox is available at the company’s website and sold in stores, including Hobby Lobby and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

For more information, visit Santa’s Enchanted Mailbox’s website here and on Facebook here.