Boise & Garden City

If you can’t go inside a Boise hospital to visit children, what’s Santa to do?

Santa always has a bunch of challenges in order to visit all the kids he needs to see, and this year is no different. Normally, he makes an early appearance at St. Luke’s Children Hospital, but visitors are limited because of coronavirus — and that does not exempt Mr. Claus.

Not to worry. On Wednesday morning in the fog, Santa climbed atop a Boise Fire Department ladder truck and, modeling coronavirus safety protocols — wearing a mask, outside and from a distance — Santa was able to bring holiday cheer to young patients and staff.

Nearly 30 children inside their rooms and on the pedestrian overpass waved in return. The fire truck circled the hospital several times to be sure to catch everyone, including random passers-by and drivers.

Katherine Jones
Idaho Statesman
Visual journalist Katherine Jones has been with the Statesman since 1990. She was named the Idaho Press Club’s Photographer of the Year in 2017, and Reporter of the Year in 2014. She frequently combines words, photos and video to tell her stories.If you like seeing stories and photos like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription to the Idaho Statesman.
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