A mall Santa went the extra mile for a boy who opened up about his struggle with autism.
Young Landen was at the RiverTown Crossings Mall in Grandville, MI with his mom and cousins visiting Santa Claus. But, his mom, Naomi Johnson, was surprised when Landen ran back to speak to Mr. Claus for a second time.
She shared a photo of the moment on her Facebook page and it was shared more than 50,000 times in a week. Like the Santa Claus in North Carolina who went viral for laying on the floor to cater to a child with autism, this one showed compassion for the young boy.
"He was flapping his hands, all excited to let Santa know that he has autism," Johnson wrote. "Santa sat him next to him and took L's hands in his and started rubbing them, calming them down."
When Landon expressed some sadness for being autistic, Saint Nick gave him some great advice: "It shouldn't bother him to be who he is."
"My child is a great advocate for himself. But this day was different. He opened up to this person about who he was and he was accepted. He wasn't a science experiment, like he gets treated when most people find out he autistic. He was Landon, sitting with Santa and being told that it was ok to be himself. Mommy tells him all the time that he's special and I love him the way he was made, but it's always nice to hear it from others," Johnson wrote.
See what Mr. Claus had to say below, and please SHARE to encourage others to get into the holiday spirit!
