Cisco UKI

Santa goes digital to deliver gifts and smiles to 370 children in hospital

Amy Lucas
December 19, 2023

A guest post from (chief elf) Joanne Bugg, Connected Santa programme manager and Leader, Business Development

Think back to when you were a child. What did this time of year mean to you? Which memories spring to mind, and how do they make you feel?

Imagine you’re a child unwell in hospital in December. The sterile ward is a far cry from home. Christmas decorations may be appearing in the corridors, and everyone is being kind. But your friends are at school, playing without you. You’ve missed this year’s nativity play and various festivities. Will Santa even visit this year?

Cisco’s “Connected Santa” programme is a unique opportunity for us to bring hospitalised children a special kind of virtual hug that will leave lasting, happy memories. It’s a chance to spread festive cheer at a challenging time for sick children and their families. Above all, it’s a magical experience that reassures: Santa hasn’t forgotten you.

This December, Santa dialled in to 15 hospitals across England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. From the comfort of his armchair in the North Pole, he video-conferenced with each hospital for approximately 3 hours. Saving on reindeer fuel, he used the magic of Webex to connect 1:1 with 370 children over 5 days. He stuck to schedule, was never late for dinner, and kept his carbon reindeer footprints to a minimum.

Onsite per hospital, a local team of volunteer Cisco elves and a Mrs Claus helped to bring smiles and joy. While some elves were colouring and crafting with the children waiting to meet Santa, others worked with hospital staff to set up and festively decorate part of the playroom. This is where they would virtually ‘meet’ Santa.

The most important pieces of tech? A working video device, a Webex account, and a decent internet connection. Cisco Systems Engineers had pre-planned and tested the technical set-up in advance, in collaboration with hospital IT staff. Occasionally, a dodgy video connection can be explained by Santa being in a blizzard. But, this must only be temporary!

As each child was waiting their turn to meet the man in red, subtle conversations with an elf uncovered the child’s name, age, hobbies, and what they’d asked Santa for this year. This ‘intel’ was secretly captured in a Webex chat and beamed through to a Santa Sitter in the North Pole. They typed key details in big font (Santa’s eyesight isn’t what it used to be) onto a second monitor beside Santa’s video screen in the grotto. What sneaky elves!

This ‘whisper chat’ enabled Santa to delight and surprise every single child! He greeted them by name, had a meaningful and personalised conversation, and discussed their Christmas wishes with them.

When 10-year-old Tessa met Santa, she was surprised to be greeted by name. She was even more surprised when Santa asked: “How’s Georgina today?”. Georgina was her toy monkey. She looked at her dad as if to say, “How does he know that?” All-knowing Santa went on to ask her dad, James, if he could please stop cheating whilst playing Jenga with Tessa! An even bigger smile; another glance at dad. They chatted about her three cats and her hamster, again with magical intel entwined. Amazing!

Santa later shared with me: “The astonishment on her face that Santa knew her pets and what they were is something that I always love to see. It’s the magic of Christmas.”

Earlier in the week a young teenager, in hospital for her own safety, had only come to meet Santa to get off the ward. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Santa” came the reply. “You’re just a bloke dressed as Santa. What’s your real name?” she continued. Santa persisted. She wasn’t falling for the whisper chat gems either, dismissing these as things someone in the hospital had told Santa. However, when Santa knew that her brother had a pet snake that had recently escaped and been found by their neighbour … she stopped in her tracks.

As Santa put it: “For a moment she was the carefree, small child she once was who believed in Santa. Her whole demeanour changed, she smiled, thanked me very much for talking to her, and left.”

A younger patient, Emma, had her friend Aleena to visit. Santa knew both names in advance and that Aleena didn’t celebrate Christmas. Santa asked Aleena if she celebrated anything else instead. She said Eid. Santa told her that lots of his friends enjoyed the Eid festivities and remarked how it equally brought family and friends together.

He asked Aleena if she thought her friend Emma was on the Nice or Naughty List? They both giggled. She guessed her friend was on the ‘Nice’ list. After a brief search, Santa was glad to confirm that Emma was indeed on Santa’s Nice List – much to the joy of both girls!

Some patients were in isolation rooms or too poorly to meet Santa at the dedicated video unit. So, tech-savvy Santa ‘went mobile’ to meet the children at their bedside, using a Webex device on a hospital trolley or the Webex app on an iPad. The experiences were just as magical.

Every child who met Santa received a gift. Cisco employees donated gifts via Amazon lists (UK) and fundraising initiatives (Ireland). An incredible 1026 gifts were bought in total! This generosity meant that children unable to meet Santa also received a gift, as did visiting siblings and friends.

I’ve been involved with Connected Santa for 12 years and proud to be Programme Manager for the UK. I volunteer dozens of hours between September and December every year, on top of my Cisco role, and it’s always my favourite project! Even without Cisco’s volunteer leave called Time2Give, I would still do it.

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. This year, around 90 Cisco volunteers have helped to make it all happen. For all of you, I am grateful.

Volunteers include Cisco Account Managers, Systems Engineers, tech support grotto-side, grotto builders, Workplace Resources, admin support, tool creators, gift receivers and deliverers, social media, PR and comms professionals, The Print Consultancy, and Santa Sitters.

Thank you to everyone who supports Connected Santa. It’s a programme that both melts my heart and makes it sing! Always a humbling experience, it’s a heartfelt reminder of how fortunate many of us are.