PHOTOS: In lieu of a sleigh and reindeer, Santa and Mrs. Claus — Boston Fire Department lieutenants by day — rode a firetruck to Shriners Children’s Boston hospital to deliver holiday cheer Tuesday.
About 30 children peered out the hospital windows as the Clauses inched closer in the bucket of a fire ladder.
The Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation, a charity run by firefighters, has hosted the Christmas event for 20 years, outside of 2020, according to foundation director Steve Turley. The foundation provides emotional and financial support to those with burn injuries, including children at Shriners Children’s Boston.
“Usually, firefighters will respond for some sort of rescue,” Turley said. “When it comes to Shriners Hospital, it’s always love to the rescue.” After Mr. and Mrs. Claus — also known as Robert McGrath and Sheila Leahy — waved to the children from the ladder, they climbed down, put on surgical masks, and went inside to meet with children one-on-one.