Santa makes local boy’s Christmas Special

(ABC 6 News) – Believe it or not, Christmas is this week. One local boy in Rochester was discouraged this year, he didn’t want to go to the mall to see Santa.

But, that boy’s wish came true when Santa showed up at his home and looked just like him.

"I think it’s important to note that representation matters," Keisha Diephuis, Gryffyn’s mom said.

It all started with a letter to Santa.

The letter Gryffyn wrote to Santa says he doesn’t want to sit on Santa’s lap in the store, Gryffyn knows he’s not the real Santa because he doesn’t look like him.

And for Gryffyn’s mom, when she saw this was how her son was feeling right before the holidays, she was discouraged, wondering what to do next.

She wanted her son to have Christmas spirit right before the holidays by finding a Santa that looked like him.

"Sentence after sentence I was like oh, this mommas heart is breaking," Diephuis said.

And that’s where Charles Jackson, I mean Santa comes in!

He founded The Singing Santa this year as a way to make sure families have a special holiday.

"We’re representing not only the community but the people of the community. We represent those that are in our household, we’re representing the state of Minnesota," Jackson said.

And that push to want Gryffyn to have a special Christmas paid off.

Gryffyn sat on Santas lap and had a smile on his face the whole time. He got to meet a Santa that looked just like him.

"It was just so heartwarming, I was keeping it together as much as I could, watching the beautiful moment," Diephuis said.

And for Keisha, she says seeing all of this made her heart happy. This is something she will never forget.

"Step up and maybe be a Santa for those other people that are looking for that representation in Santa," Diephuis said.

And for Santa, he made one kid’s Christmas special. He plans to make many more memories for kids before the holiday season ends.

"There’s a community that’s looking for hope, and joy to be implanted in their lives. If we can pull that into someone, they can pull that into someone else," Jackson said.