St. Nick Visits Maryland Children At Their Homes Through The Santa Project

MARYLAND — Starting this weekend, Santa and his elves will be popping up across Howard County neighborhoods to visit kids this holiday season. Special visits are planned for Dec. 3-4 and Dec. 10-11. The Santa Project visits children in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard and Prince George's counties.

Now in its second year, The Santa Project brings Christmas cheer to kids' houses where they can share their wish lists and have photos taken. The initiative was created during the coronavirus pandemic and in its first year, more than 2,300 children were able to see Santa and his elves despite the global epidemic when businesses and social gatherings were shut down.

Led by Blossoms of Hope and its partner Zaching Against Cancer Foundation, Santa even visits more than 100 children through the Howard County Public School System. Vera Simmons with Blossoms of Hope shared with Patch that the organization was created in 2004 as a part of Howard County Tourism with the goal of beautifying the county and attracting tourists to the area to enjoy the cherry blossom trees in the spring.

"One of our board members came up with the idea for in-home Santa visits when her daughter grew anxious that children wouldn't be able to see Santa in 2020. We decided that many children were in the same position and we wanted to spread joy to all the families stuck at home. We continued the program last year and had a great response," Simmons said.

Most families shared with event organizers that they'd rather have Santa visit them than stand in line to see Santa for just a few minutes. The Santa Project has sponsors and accepts donations to help cover the cost of Santa visits with children who can't afford it.

"People love that there is no hassle to the visit. We schedule an hour window where Santa will arrive so they can arrange their day around that. Santa gets out of his truck with an elf and a driver. He also has a nice list that he's personalized for every child on the route. Families love that," Simmons said. "They talk about wishes and children can add a letter to Santa in the mailbox and pictures are taken."

To help support The Santa Project, reach out to them at info@blossomsofhope.org or visit blossomsofhope.org/how... To register for a visit Dec. 10-11, visit https://blossomsofhope.regfox....