A class from Chilcotin Road Elementary was at the Potato House in Williams Lake on Thursday for a magical morning with Santa.
Executive Director at the Potato House Sustainable Community Society, Mary Forbes says they started the ‘Silent Santa Project’ last year.
“We wanted to offer them something special because we know those children that have extraordinary abilities sometimes also have barriers to going to the Santa at the mall because it’s a bit of a rush, it’s a bit of a stress. Even for kids on an everyday kind of level, it can be stressful; you see a couple of kids that like to scream when they see the man in red. So we created ‘Silent Santa’ where we partnered with Santa and Mrs. Claus just so these special students can take the time they need to be familiar and to visit. We also have Keena the Christmas dog and she’s a local dog that’s been spending time in this very special class.”
Forbes says a partnership with local photographers who donate their time to take photos also added to the creation of the memorable experience.
“They came for 45 minutes,” she says of the students. “We smiled until our faces hurt and you get a little teary because it’s really magical.”
Forbes adds that although they did not have a good turnout in the afternoon as they made the opportunity available to others they still had a really good time.
“We had one family come and we were there from 1 until 5 so we got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and I went and got my kids so they came and hung out.”