Families and pediatric patients at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia received gifts and a surprise visit from Santa Claus on Sunday, Dec. 25.
Santa and his elves delivered an abundance of toys and stuffed animals to each of the hospital’s young patients on Christmas morning. Hospital staff followed him from room to room to make sure that every child received a gift.
One of the first patients to receive a surprise visit was a 5-month-old baby boy.
Tyliyah Davis and Snoop Williams accompanied their 5-month-old son Cerauhjalaun “C. J.” during his stay at the hospital. They were there to see Santa and the hospital staff walk into their room with a big stuffed animal.
“He’s a very happy and active baby,” Davis said.
C. J.’s mother said her infant son enjoys getting to know about his surroundings.
“He loves moving around and exploring,” she said of baby C. J. “He’s very smart. He’s learning new things every day.”
Kim Allen, the manager of child life at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, said the yearly tradition has been going on for almost three decades.
“We have been doing this for 29 years,” she said. “Santa comes and visits all the kids on Christmas morning. It’s something that they just don’t anticipate or expect, and when they see Santa come in the door, they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
She said being in the hospital can be hard for families to deal with, particularly during the holidays.
“Nobody wants to be in the hospital – nobody wants to be in the hospital on Christmas,” she said.
Allen said that doing something like this allows the families who are spending the holiday at the hospital to feel included.
“It also is part of normalization,” she said. “Kids are used to being home and waking up and running to the tree. If they’re in the hospital, they don’t get to do that experience but when Santa comes in and gives them a gift, it makes it all okay.”
Davis said their time in the hospital has been easy-going, and they are looking forward to returning home soon.
“We’ve got family right here,” she said, gesturing to herself, baby C. J. and Williams. “We’re just happy to get back home with other family, so they can see him for his first Christmas.”
Speaking on why he made a visit to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia on Christmas, Santa said, “I got an invite to put in cheer in all the children’s lives this morning.”
Santa also shared his message for the holiday season.
“Merry Christmas. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Have a great New Year,” he said.
