Texas Children’s employees kicked off the holiday season with camaraderie and joy by participating in the organization’s annual bread and wassail tradition. Employees enjoyed delicious holiday bread and wassail served by our leaders earlier this month. Please view the photo gallery below to see photos of the festivities.
From festive holiday decorations to trees decked out in ornaments and lights, it sure is beginning to look and feel a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s.
Throughout the month of December, the Child Life Department and Volunteer Services collaborated with several organizations in the community to spread holiday cheer to patients and their families. From Texas Children’s Medical Center campus to Texas Children’s West Campus and The Woodlands campus, employees organized numerous fun activities for the kids that brought plenty of smiles and laughter to their faces.
Besides the annual tree lighting events to kick off the spirit of giving, children participated in holiday arts and crafts, built their own gingerbread houses and got their pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Bennet’s Bears and United Airlines surprised inpatients with a special delivery of stuffed teddy bears. Texas Children’s beloved therapy dog Elsa also joined in on the festivities at the hospital.
Santa Claus also made his way to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women to spread some holiday cheer – but he wasn’t the only one dressed up in red. Babies in the NICU were dressed in their own tiny Santa hats and booties.
The visit from Santa was hosted by the hospital’s Newborn Center Family Advisory Committee and First Memories Texas, a volunteer group that helps families with babies in the NICU and CVICU at Texas Children’s to make memories and tell their children’s stories through photography.
It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s. The annual tree lighting ceremonies kicked off the season of joy with Santa and Mrs. Claus spreading holiday cheer to patients and their families.
On November 30, Senior Vice President Tabitha Rice and Nancy Baycroft, president of The Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital, kicked off the tree lighting event on The Auxiliary Bridge. Within seconds, the bright lights magically turned on and Santa’s HO HO HO could be heard as he walked down the hallway bearing gifts. Every child received a stuffed holiday bear. Santa also visited patients who were not able to leave their rooms. St. John’s School Choir sang holiday carols to more than 50 patients and their families.
Santa Claus also spread holiday cheer to more than 145 guests at the inaugural Tree Lighting event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Charles Hankins delivered the welcome speech and Vice President Trent Johnson thanked the event sponsors, Newfield Exploration and The Woodlands Art Council, and wished everyone good cheer. Children took photos with Santa and participated in fun activities including making holiday ornaments and picture frames.
Approximately 8,000 people attended the 10th annual Tree-Lighting Celebration in the courtyard at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch on November 18. Three-year-old Paris Ndu, a patient at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, had the honors of lighting the 30-foot Christmas tree to kick off the holiday season.
With the holiday season upon us, there’s plenty of cheer left for patients, families and employees. Be sure to check out one of these holiday gatherings on your clinic floors and get in the holiday spirit.
It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony kicked off the season of joy with Santa and Mrs. Clause helping to light The Auxiliary Bridge Christmas tree.
St. John’s choir sang holiday carols as young patients danced along. Senior Vice President Tabitha Rice helped kick off the lighting ceremony. Within seconds, the lights magically turned on and the “HO HO HO” of Santa could be heard as he walked down the hospital hallways.
View photos from the event below.
There’s plenty of cheer left for patients, families and employees. Be sure to check out one of these holiday gatherings on your clinic floors and get in the holiday spirit.
It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony kicked off the season of joy with Santa and Mrs. Clause helping to light The Auxiliary Bridge Christmas tree.
St. John’s choir sang holiday carols as young patients danced along. Executive Vice President and John Nickens helped kick off the lighting ceremony. Within seconds, the lights magically turned on and the “HO HO HO” of Santa could be heard as he walked down the hospital hallways.
There’s plenty of cheer left for patients, families and employees. Be sure to check out one of these holiday gatherings on your clinic floors and get in the holiday spirit.
Ana Maria Martinez is known around the world for her Grammy Award-winning voice. The soprano has performed with the likes of Andrea Bocceli and Placido Domingo, world-renowned artists in Opera. Martinez graduated from the prestigious Julliard School of Music and has played at La Scala in Milan, at the Met in New York City and at the most important opera houses around the world. In mid-December she played Boheme in the Paris Opera, but just a few days later, when Martinez visited Texas Children’s Hospital, the children were the star of her show. She stood in the West Tower lobby and sang to patients waiting for their appointments in the emergency center. She asked the young patients to come in close and encouraged them to sing along. Martinez then took to the floors and sang holiday carols to patients on the inpatient units.
Martinez will soon play the leading role in Madame Butterfly at the Houston Grand Opera.
Little Penelope danced to the sounds of the St. John’s School Choir singing Christmas carols on The Auxiliary Bridge as her mom watched waiting for Santa’s arrival. Penelope is a patient in Texas Children’s Cancer Center and spent her day receiving chemotherapy, but at that moment, her mom was filled with joy as she watched her little girl enjoying a little holiday cheer.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Randy Wright took Penelope by the hand and asked her to close her little eyes and make a holiday wish. As she did this, the sparkling lights on the Christmas décor turned on and in walked who else, but Santa and Mrs. Clause. “Ho ho ho” Santa said as Penelope and the other little children erupted in cheer. Penelope ran right up to Santa and gave him a great big hug. She was first in line to tell him her holiday wish list followed by dozens of other patients excited to meet the hero of the holidays.
That was just the beginning of the holiday cheer. Throughout the season, the patients received special visits from Santa and his little helpers. There was the visit from the Houston Ballet Nutcracker performers, the Ukulele club’s caroling through the halls and a virtual visit from the North Pole as patients skyped with Jolly St. Nick.
Watch the short video above and browse the photo gallery to see some highlights of the holiday cheer.
