On Sunday 19th November we hosted a relaxed Christmas celebration at The Hive with opportunities to meet Santa and engage in themed play-based activities with our clinical team. Lots of the families we work with might find traditional Santa’s Grotto’s too overwhelming so we wanted to create a friendly atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.
We welcomed 14 families to individual sessions with Santa and lots more families throughout the rest of the afternoon. The relaxed Santa sessions were included a 10-minute private appointment with Santa, a photo opportunity and a small gift. We scheduled the sessions so there were no queues waiting to see Santa and we ensured that there were no bright lights or loud music to make it as sensory friendly as possible.
Our second playroom was set up with interactive stories, sensory play such as bubbles and some Christmas songs supported with choice boards, for our little ones who love to sing.
Following the private sessions, we hosted an open Christmas party for the remainder of the afternoon, and Santa continued to bring lots of joy and laughter. We also hosted a tombola and raffle which raised £100 for The Toby Henderson Trust.
We had a brilliant afternoon and received lots of positive feedback from families who attended. We are excited to do it all again this year, and have already booked Santa for the end of November. Watch this space for further details.