Encounter with Signing Santa
Sharon Odegaard
Quota International of Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.A.

Signing Santa was scheduled to visit Fargo's local mall on December 9, 2001, a particularly miserable day with lots of snow and wind. The thought crossed our minds to cancel, but we knew we would not be able to get the word out, and some child might show up and be very disappointed. Since Santa drives to Fargo from St. Cloud, Minnesota, a distance of 150 miles, it would be difficult to reschedule him.

Because of the weather, not many children showed up. But the ones who did were so excited that they could "talk" to Santa—many for the first time.

Towards the end of the evening, I saw a little blonde girl, perhaps seven or eight years old, coming down the hall. When she caught sight of Santa in his sleigh, communicating in sign language, her eyes got big and a big smile spread across her face. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this young lady was excited!

She came over to Santa and crawled onto his lap, and the two of them talked for quite some time. Her mother and I visited while she was with Santa, and her mother said it was the first time their schedule allowed them to visit our Signing Santa, but it surely would not be their last!

In talking to her mother, I was made aware that the girl was disabled in another way—she only had one hand. Talk about disability! She could not hear, and therefore needed to communicate in sign language. And yet she only had one hand to do it with!

I have to admit, tears welled up in my eyes as I watched that little girl. She was absolutely thrilled to finally be able to talk with Santa, and it was great to be part of that. We definitely made a difference in her life that evening and in the lives of several other children throughout the years.