By Arthur Jones 
, Multimedia Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media News
Dec. 18, 2024, 2:37 p.m. ·
Santa Claus made an early trip to Lincoln’s Bryan East NICU Wednesday to say hello to the hospital’s smallest residents and their families.
Santa has been visiting the NICU at Bryan Health for over a decade.
“It's just really special to bring the magic of Christmas to them,” Santa said. “Especially to the little ones, since it's their first Christmas, and just being here and just bringing the magic of the North Pole, I think it does wonders.”
Each year, the nurses at Bryan Health’s neonatal intensive care unit decorate the rooms of their smallest patients with Christmas decorations, as well as the patients themselves in festive outfits.
One of the nurses, Rachel Kreikemeier, dresses up as an elf and accompanies Santa while he makes his visits.
“It's so nice to see the parents light up,” said NICU nurse Alex White. “All the staff lights up. It's just, it's so great. It just brings a little bit of holiday and fun to the NICU.”
One patient, Bo Niles, has been at the hospital for 12 weeks. According to White, he amazes them each time he meets another milestone. He was born 17 weeks early.
Bo’s mom, Faith Niles, enjoyed seeing Santa this year.
“I feel like Santa coming today kind of normalizes families who don't have family,” Niles said. “Like all of me and my partner's family are all two and a half and three and a half hours away. So I think it helps us normalize it a little bit with Christmas spirit, and then we have all of his primaries who are like his aunties and family to him. And I think it helps us a lot. Having them around and be in our support.”
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