Northland Arboretum To Host Sensory-Friendly Visits with Santa

The Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative is holding a sensory-friendly holiday visit with Santa at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd next week on Dec. 4-6. The event aims to provide a comfortable space for neurodivergent kids and their families to meet with Saint Nick.

Each family will receive a 15-minute block to meet Santa. In that time, participants will have the opportunity for arts and crafts and receive a book as their first gift of the holiday season.

“The Grinch and Santa can be overwhelming for kids with low incidence disabilities like autism or sensory processing or cerebral palsy, any of those types of disabilities that cause some of the more overwhelmed feelings in public,” explained Karley Sykora with the Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative. “So many of the kids that visited with us last year, it was their first time visiting with Santa, and that was emotionally overwhelming.”

There are limited spots available for the event. To secure a spot, you can call 218-454-9264 or register online.