NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Tuesday morning, patients and frontline workers at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital received a special visit from Santa.
But he didn't need his reindeer to head toward the rooftop of the hospital.
In a very Covid way, the jolly old elf did not meet with children in person. He was on the other side of the glass, meaning their hospital room windows, several stories high, in the bucket of a New Haven Fire Department tower truck, greeting patients, nurses, and doctors, too.
"They are the front line of this fight and we appreciate them so much," Santa said of these medical professionals. "They and their families, everything that they do."
And, while most children will wake up in their own beds Christmas morning, some will be in hospital beds. That’s what makes today's visit so special for Santa.
"We are a team of Santas all over the country that are assisting this year," he said. "We want to make sure that children remember that not only are we thinking about them but Covid is just teaching us new ways to be kind to each other.
While waves from windows were all there would be this year, Santa had a Christmas wish and request for everyone.
"We want you to be safe, we want you to have a good time, enjoy the holidays but we have to think small now," Santa said. "Small steps will help us get through this and flatten the curve."
If you would like to help brighten the holidays of these hospitalized children or frontline workers, log on to Yale-New Haven's holiday giving website.