Christmas is one of those holidays that brings joy and excitement to everyone, regardless if you’re a child or not. But this holiday season is certainly a different one. One of the things that we used to be able to enjoy during the holidays was going to see Santa.
For kids, meeting Santa and getting their picture taking with him is a highlight of the holiday season. And during the pre-covid days, one six-year-old named Matthew Foster got to enjoy a very special Christmas miracle of his own.
Little Matthew was born blind and with autism. He had a curiosity to know whether or not Santa was real, so his mom, Misty Wolf, wanted to make her son’s wish come true. She took him to the Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s store located close to their Texas home. According to CNN, a Santa Claus was working there and it was just what Matthew needed. Misty explained the situation to the Santa who agreed to allow Matthew to take all the time he needed to assess for himself if Santa was real. The very nice Santa sat down on the ground with Matthew and allowed him to feel his coat, beard, and face.
Misty had shared that Matthew doesn’t like most people, and he feels quite uncomfortable in crowds. However, he did like Santa. As Misty explained, the young boy took to Santa right away. She stated to CNN, “Santa had his trust right away. I keep saying that he met the real Santa. That was the real Santa for Matthew.”
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Misty shared that the Santa knew exactly what to do from the moment that she explained her son’s condition. Besides getting to meet Santa, Matthew also got to experience the sensation of a reindeer. Santa led the young child over to a taxidermied reindeer on display and let Matthew feel the antlers. The entire moment was a very special one for Matthew who agreed to let his picture be taken with Santa. This was a huge event as Misty explained that little Matthew hates to have his picture taken.
As magical of a Christmas moment it was for the young child, it was an even bigger Christmas miracle for his mother who was quite moved. She explained that the entire thing must’ve taken a good 10 minutes at least, and she was surprised by how well Matthew coped. As for the Santa who was working that day, the CNN affiliate KTVT managed to ask him how he got to be so good with kids. The Santa explained that “you relate to the child and what the child needs. He has never seen the world the way we have seen the world.”
The sweet nature of the Santa had left Matthew wanting to see more of the jolly fellow, however, Misty had to explain to Matthew that he only gets to see him once a year. It’s only a shame that COVID-19 has ruined the Santa experience for many kids this year. Hopefully the holidays of 2021 will be better.
Source: The Autism Site Blog