Mom Saw the Magic of Christmas When Santa Got on the Floor to Meet Her Son With Special Needs

At a special night with a sensory-friendly Santa Claus, Alison Epps thought she was finally going to get a typical photo of her son James sitting with Santa, but what ended up happening was even better than she expected. At Restoration Community Church in Spring Hill, TN, Epps watched as Santa — who was sitting in his chair when her uneasy 6-year-old walked up and sat on the floor in front of the Christmas tree — got up and laid across the floor to get on James's level.

Epps explained in a post on the Love What Matters Facebook page that James has some challenges as a result of an early birth and that seemingly simple tasks like meeting Santa and taking a photo are often far from simple. When she found out about the sensory-friendly event, she was hopeful James could have a positive experience. "He has seen enough photos and videos of Santa to know who we're talking about when we mention Santa Claus," she said. "When we asked if he wanted to meet Santa he said yes. We talked about it for several days leading up to the 'big day.'"

Although Epps thought she'd finally get that sought-after photo of James and Santa because of the "almost perfect circumstances," the two she snapped of them together on the floor in front of the tree turned out to be just the right type of perfect for James.