Santa spreads holiday cheer at Hasbro Children’s Hospital

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Santa Clause left the North Pole a little early this year to surprise little boys and girls at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Santa ditched his old fashioned sleigh with reindeer, and instead hopped in a helicopter.

“All the children are bouncing around upstairs on the inpatient floors,” Hasbro Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist Mallory Kropman said.

Santa circled around the hospitals’ campus, waving at the kids.

“It’s a lot of fun to see the kids, to see the joy, to see them waving at Santa Claus,” HeliService USA CEO Michael Tosi said.

Kids watched Old Saint Nick being hoisted down from the helicopter and landing on the helipad.

“They actually got to see him fly,” Tosi said.

Santa arrived with nearly 100 early Christmas gifts from the North Pole.

Kropman said Santa and Mrs. Clause handed out gifts, hot cocoa, and cookies in the hospital’s playroom.

During the visit, the kids sat down with Santa and shared what’s on their Christmas list, bringing some cheer to families spending their holidays in the hospital.

“Where there’s a lot of stress and anxiety, sometimes chaos. And this just brings levity,” Kropman said. “No one expects to see Santa belay from a helicopter and come into the hospital and visit them.”