The former president wore a Santa hat and carried a sack of presents over his shoulder as he surprised patients and their parents at the hospital, Children’s National Health System, in the north-east part of the capital. He greeted them with a “ho, ho, ho!” and told them his reindeer were “stuck in some snow”, but he wanted to make sure he visited.
Obama chatted with patients in their rooms and stopped by several playrooms. He also recorded a video message for those he couldn’t visit.
The hospital tweeted that Obama “warmed our hallways and put smiles on everyone’s faces!”
“You have the nurses, and staff and doctors and people who are caring for them and looking after them and just there for them, listening to them and holding their hands. That’s the most important thing there is, a great reminder of what the holiday spirit is supposed to be about,”
