Helicopter-riding Santa meets sick kids at 6 B.C. hospitals in one day

Santa Claus traded in his sleigh for a helicopter Tuesday to make his annual visit to kids and health-care workers in B.C.'s pediatric hospitals.

For the 18th year in a row, Jolly St. Nick made stops at hospitals in six cities a BC Emergency Health Services Air Ambulance, provided by Helijet, loaded with gifts for children.

Joanna Stefani, an infant transport team paramedic, was part of the flight crew.

"It's a very stressful and challenging time for the patients and their families, so to have a day where you get to alleviate some of that stress, create some holiday cheer with Santa is just really rewarding for me and for all the crew as well as the families," she said in a video posted to Twitter.

While he didn’t clock as many kilometres as he does on Christmas Eve, Santa made stops in Victoria, Nanaimo, Abbotsford, Surrey and New Westminster.

In Vancouver, he visited the campus that houses BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital, facilities that see patients who have travelled from communities throughout the province to receive critical care.

Chief operating officer Cheryl Davies says the special visit is particularly uplifting for those who are far from home over the holidays.

"For Santa to come into the hospital brings some merriment and joy, and just brings some semblance of normalcy to their day. It brings some levity and joy, and everybody – even the adult patients and the staff – looks forward to Santa's coming," she said.

"I just got a glimpse of some little children that were waiting eagerly for him. It just brings tears to your eyes to see the delight in the children."