A friendly holiday warning: The following story contains sensitive information about Santa Claus. Reader discretion is advised. A version of this story was originally published Dec. 18, 2020.
In November 2019, an email press release caught the attention of CD Davidson-Hiers. A sensory-friendly Santa Claus was coming to a local mall in Tallahassee, Florida.
“What Santas would not be sensory-friendly?” Davidson-Hiers, who covers K-12 education for the Tallahassee Democrat, asked herself. This Santa was trained to interact with children with special needs and take cues from caregivers, according to the press release. The reporter knew she wanted to cover it.
Davidson-Hiers wrote a brief about Kriss Kringle’s upcoming visit.
