One by one, children and young adults lined up to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
Lights were dimmed so children would not be overwhelmed. Families made appointments so they wouldn’t have to wait in long lines. The usual Christmas music was turned off and the typical bubbling fountain at the Greenwood Park Mall lay still for the duration of children telling their wishes to Old St. Nick.
Families checked out Caring Santa at the mall last weekend for a calm visit that catered to children who struggle with sensory issues and who would struggle seeing Mr. Claus under normal circumstances.
Caring Santa is an annual program the mall conducts in conjunction with Autism Speaks. The event provides children with special needs the opportunity to visit with Santa in an environment that has been designed to meet their needs.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Visits with Santa are offered at the mall during regular hours, but the Caring Santa event is before mall hours to help control the environment. Families who are interested in reserving a slot still have a chance this Sunday.
For some families, the calmed environment geared toward their children was the only way they would be able to see Santa.
Hayden Hobbs, 18, lined up with his mother, Christina Berdine to ask Santa for a hot sauce kit, DVDS and electronics.
Hobbs is on the autism spectrum and struggles with sensory issues. He mostly struggles with noise, and met Santa with the help of large headphones that block out ambient noise.
"He loves Santa; it is trying to find the right venue," Berdine said. "It was perfect."
Tana Marshall recently found out that her two-year-old son Madden has autism. Marshall doesn’t want the diagnosis to stop him from experiencing a normal life, and at 2, normalcy around the holiday includes a visit with Santa. So she packed Madden up and drove more than 30 miles north from Columbus to make sure he could do just that.
"We are trying to make his life as close as we can to what every child will experience," she said. "We don’t want him to not experience everything because he has autism."
Marcella Todd has been bringing her son, Kevin, 10, to Caring Santa for years. The experience is exactly what he needs, with Santa patiently listening to everything on his list. In past years, Santa has even keeled on the ground with the youngster when he couldn’t bring himself to sit on his lap.
"This gives him the opportunity to sit on his own level and have his one-on-one time with Santa," she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Caring Santa
Why: The event is in conjunction with Autism Speaks and is a curated Santa experience for children who have special needs.
When: Slots are still available starting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Reservations are required.
Where: Greenwood Park Mall, 1251 S. U.S. 31.
Cost: Free
How to register: Visit www.simon.com/mall/greenwood-park-mall. Click on "events," then on "Caring Santa." A link to RSVP will pop up.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
