Many people grew up watching Sesame Street, but how many can say they made friends with the characters? Santino Fontana can!

Fontana and the Muppets® from Sesame Street® were guests of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for last year’s Christmas concerts. The concerts were recorded and made into a DVD and CD titled Keep Christmas With You. The concert featured unique interactions between the Fontana and the Muppets® and kept the crowd engaged.

Fontana talked about growing up as a fan of Sesame Street®, saying, “My [birthday] cake as an eight-year-old was a Cookie Monster cake, so to be able to meet David, who’s played him since I was a child, and also to get to hang out with them and talk to him and sing with him—that’s huge.”

“He really knows how to play with the Muppets® and make it feel real, and not forced, and treat that character like a fellow actor,” said Ryan Dillon, who puppeteers Elmo.

Watch the above video for a behind-the-scenes look at Santino Fontana and the puppeteers from Sesame Street®. Pick up your copy of Keep Christmas With You on DVD on our shop page.