Santa Hugs

Santa Hugs Information Flyer

Santa America & ESA

Santa Hugs Pattern

Santa America is a national volunteer service organization with a very special mission. Over two-hundred Santas’ across America visit children and families in crisis. Santa Claus visits when a child or family needs him—twelve months a year—bringing love, hope and joy to special needs children in a loving visit of about an hour at home, hospital, or hospice.

Check out their website: www.santaamerica.org

Santa Hugs Click Here for the Hug Pattern —

Learn more about Santa America PowerPoint by clicking here.

When Santas’ visit children in hospice facilities, children who are suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and children of our deployed service men and women they often bring with them a Hug to give to the child. These Hugs are scarves designed with mittens at either end. The child is told that whenever they feel they need one, to put the scarf on and their hands in the mittens and give themselves a hug. This hug is a reminder that Santa loved them and is always there for them.

These Hugs are hugely popular with children in desperate situations, and the need for Hugs is huge. This is where ESA comes in!

Santa America and ESA

In 2013 Marsha Barns of Kansas heard about Santa America and their Hugs. Marsha brought the project to her state and it quickly caught on. At the 2014 ESA Leadership Conference in Denver, it was decided that the Hugs project was one worthy of the support of all of ESA. Santa John, who presented in Kansas, flew to Denver to give a presentation about the Hugs and how ESA can help.

Santa John shared that they have a huge demand for Hugs all across the country, but only a small supply, and that they are at the point where they must pick and choose which child should receive a Hug. Santa John then called ESA to action – asking us to commit to creating 4,000 FLEECE Hugs per year for the next two years. ESA has enthusiastically accepted his call to service.