Santa Claus Makes Early Deliveries to Newborn Nurseries at Intermountain Health Hospitals in Utah

Santa Claus loves kids, especially those who happen to be nice newborn babies. Before the month of December began, Santa delivered stockings large enough for each newborn baby born at Intermountain Riverton Hospital in Riverton, Utah in December to be wrapped up in and given to parents as a memento. This has been a 15-year tradition for Santa.

Then off to Intermountain Medical Center’s neonatal ICU in Murray, Utah with some hand-knit Christmas caps for the tiny babies there who were born prematurely or with complications. And then he posed for a special photo opportunity where he held each newborn on his lap wearing their new cap and wrapped up with a bow like a present, including a set of twins. Santa gave the parents of the babies a photo as a special keepsake gift.

Then Santa dashed to the north to McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah to deliver more knit caps and pose with more babies in the neonatal ICU there. Santa couldn’t do all of this without his elves who made the stockings and knit the caps and who happen to be neonatal nurses and volunteers at the hospitals who have done this for the last several years. Some elves who are also talented photographers, took the photos.

For parents who have a baby in the neonatal ICU at the hospital during the holiday season, it can be sad to not be able to take their baby home to be with family, or bring the baby along to holiday parties, family traditions, or visit Santa at the mall.

“It’s nice to have some normalcy from ‘outside’ when you have a baby in the neonatal ICU. It helps take your mind off the seriousness of it, even if for just a short time,” said Shamie Campbell, a parent coordinator in the newborn intensive care unit at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.

“Parents are so grateful to get a picture of their baby to share on their Christmas cards or social media. I can’t explain the cheer I see on parents’ faces when they watch the photoshoot and receive the photos,” said Campbell.

“With parents’ permission, we post the photos at the entrance of our neonatal ICU, and they brighten the day of everyone who walks past. You can’t help but smile, looking at their cute faces in their little Christmas hats,” said Alice Casper, RN, nurse manager of the neonatal ICU at Intermountain Medical Center.

According to Intermountain Health’s data crunchers, more than 26,000 babies have been born at Intermountain Health Hospitals in Utah so far in 2024.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.