[trip style = magic]
As I was packing up for my flight to the North Pole yesterday, I didn’t bring the usual cold-weather necessities like a parka or snow boots. Not even mittens. Two, perhaps, strange things I did throw in my purse were mascara and cover-up. I knew I’d be a mess of joy-filled tears.
If there’s one Christmastime event that tugs at my heartstrings more than anything else, it’s the Air Transat and Children’s Wish Foundation’s Flight with Santa Claus—a 15-year tradition that’s been happening in Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal since 2004. And this year, in Paris, too.
“The annual Flight with Santa Clause is a truly magical day that brings incredible joy to children diagnosed with life-threatening illness,” shares Chris Kotsopoulos Co-CEO of Children’s Wish Foundation.
To learn more about this embodiment of Christmas spirit first-hand, I hopped aboard the “North Pole Express” in search of St. Nicholas. To my surprise, Santa met us in the sky—his workshop is super busy right now!
The reason I packed mascara and cover-up is because I was literally sobbing just reading about the event. Then; thinking about it on the way to the airport. Then; in the parking lot. The flight’s essence of Christmas magic is enough to make anyone a little misty-eyed—in fact, several people messaged me in response to the photos and videos I was live-sharing on my Instagram Stories, also overcome by emotion watching the grace- and cheer-filled scene.
For me, attending this event was a touch personal. Last year I was supposed to be on the flight as a journalist, but I had to cancel that morning because my own son, who has struggled with scary viral-induced asthma for the past few years, was headed to the hospital (for the ??? time) because he couldn’t breathe. (I will write about our family’s journey with both kids’ breathing challenges in a later post.)
From take-off to touch-down, the “all is bright” scene was right out of a Hallmark holiday movie. At check-in there was a Christmas-clad 20-person choir belting out carols with such jubilation you could hear their voices echo in the whole domestic departure lounge. To add a little extra sparkle, even the flight boards proclaimed “Flight with Santa Claus.”
After security, I headed to gate B18, which was abuzz with lights, colouring, crafts, music, princesses, life-sized gingerbread men, elves, therapy dogs dressed up in holiday outfits (one even had lights wrapped around its collar), a log cabin-style photo booth, a milk and cookies station, and a quiet zone for kids who wanted to chill and read Christmas stories.
As I saw this from afar, I had to duck into the ladies room because I got all choked up. Knowing 1% of what these families go through—the angst, constant doctor-visits, hospitalizations, roller coaster of helplessness and hope, and day-to-day reminders of life’s fragility—and then seeing their ear-to-ear smiles, the bright-eyed humming of songs, and delight was a testament to the true spirit of the season: HOPE.
Before we boarded, Air Transat presented Children’s Wish Foundation with a cheque (the kids unwrapped), for $100,000, which the airline collected through their Small Change Big Hearts program. If you’ve ever been on an Air Transat flight, you might recall a small envelope in the seat-pocket in front of you, which encourages travelers to insert any extra change remaining from their getaway. The funds go toward this enchanted event, as well as to SOS Chrildren’s Villages, an international organization that cares for orphaned and abandoned kids in 134 countries.
As we took off, captain Pierre Bergeron who considers this day the highlight of his year (and has proudly flown the Vancouver Flight with Santa Claus for 14 of its 15 years), announced “The weather in the North Pole is 1000 degrees below zero (ha ha). We will be flying at 900 miles per hour at 37,000 feet. Please keep your eyes alert for Santa and his reindeer out your window.”
A few minutes later, the fight deck announced Santa had just been spotted, and he was going to “land on top of the plane and hitch a ride to Vancouver.” With that, the plane legitimately jolted up and down. The kids screamed in elation. Seconds later Santa appeared at the front of the aircraft with huge fanfare from everyone on board.
As we flew over snow-covered mountaintops on our 90-minute flight, Santa walked down the aisle of our Airbus A321 to hand out stockings and chat about Christmas with each child. Some kids were bursting with excitement and others were in quiet awe. A few of the older kids even snapped selfies with Santa, because, obviously.
As we prepared for landing, I heard one mom say, “it’s just nice to see my kids smiling again.” ….And that took care of any last hints of mascara I had on my eyes…
As I look back on last week’s Flight with Santa Claus, I’m still floored at the magnitude of magic that took flight, and am grateful and humbled to share this story of holiday hope with you all.
More photos
{Lead photo, Santa waving, and boy getting ticket from agent by Rich Lam, all other photos my own}
