Sometimes, even Santa has to change his route due to the weather.
On Tuesday, Saint Nicholas came to Surrey Memorial to visit some of the children staying at the hospital.
However, Santa had to make a change of plans after snowfall hit the region Tuesday morning. The Now-Leader caught up with the big man himself to hear all about his journey to Surrey Memorial.
“Oh, it was a very bumpy ride,” said Saint Nick. “We left the reindeer behind because we thought, ‘Oh, it’s going to be dry in Vancouver and we don’t want to be grinding on everybody’s roof.’ So, we came down to take the helicopter. All of a sudden, it started to snow and in the snow, helicopters turn in to snowballs,” he said, followed by a jolly ‘ho ho ho.’
“We decided to be safe, and the ambulance service was nice enough to bring us here.”
Sure enough, Santa and his elf came out of the ambulance at the front entrance of Surrey Memorial with a bag full of toys for children. They were sure to spend time kids of all ages, from teenagers recovering from illness all the way to newborn babies.
Helijet has worked with Surrey Memorial to bring this heartfelt event to children at the hospital for the last 13 years. Santa also travelled to B.C. Children’s Hospital to visit the new Teck Acute Care Centre after his visit in Surrey.
Santa and his elf lighting up smiles at #SurreyMemorial #SantaFlightBC pic.twitter.com/Ngsj77zz0q
— Fraser Health (@Fraserhealth) December 19, 2017
Alison Everett is a child care specialist and was Santa’s unofficial tour guide. Everett said she was thrilled to help organize this event again for children at Surrey Memorial.
“What happens for kids when they’re in hospital is that nothing is familiar, nothing is normal and they have no control,” she said. “When someone like Santa comes to pay a visit, it’s a little reminder that life goes on, life is good and that life has happy aspects.
“Santa feels homey, and that’s a good feeling for kids in a place where nothing feels homey.”
trevor.beggs@surreynowleader.com
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