"My wife encouraged me to give it a try and I put on the suit and I realized I felt something in me," Santa Charles Graves said.
It's the time of the year when kids ask Santa for their Christmas presents. And this Christmas, Santa Charles Graves is spreading the joy of the holidays by using American Sign Language to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Graves, 52, is a fully authorized member of Santa Claus' team and also a member of the Deaf community. Dressed as the universally loved old man, he visits and speaks via sign language with hundreds of deaf children and gives them warm Christmas cheers. This year, for the first time, he is visiting children outside Texas for the holiday season.
As per DCist, Graves works as a residential counselor at the Texas School for the Deaf where he has been helping kids like him for more than two decades. He realized a few years ago that he can spread some Christmas joy and can very well rock the familiar red suit trimmed in white. So with that thought in mind, he started the seasonal transition to looking like Kris Kringle to help deaf children experience the spirit of holidays.
Jensen loved meeting this deaf Santa who signed..... t
— Jensens Antics (@Gillian44890858) December 20, 2022
at his @actiondeafyouth Christmas party a true Christmas gift #Christmas #ChristmasGift #hohkid #jensensantics #deafkidsrock pic.twitter.com/12z1Ga5C48
"There are a lot of hearing Santas out there," Graves told DCist through ASL translator Anthony Mowl. "And for that child to be able to look up to somebody who's like them … that's why I do this." For the tour, they chose Washington D.C because the region had one of the largest deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in the country. "My wife encouraged me to give it a try and I put on the suit and I realized I felt something in me," he told KABC-TV. "I could see it in the mirror. I felt like the real Santa Claus. It was magical."
Charles Graves is a deaf man who realized a few years ago his physique suited a seasonal transformation into Santa Claus. He recently traveled to the D.C. region from Texas to greet children in American Sign Language. https://t.co/ca9ZJuz4SL pic.twitter.com/4435QjnCxD
— DCist (@DCist) December 16, 2022
Graves spent Monday evening delighting children, listening to what they wanted for Christmas at the Gaylord National Resort just outside of D.C. "{I told him} I want some new Vans shoes," eight-year-old Ramon Torres Maurn told DCist through a translator. "I want a couple of Goosebumps books. And… a Rubik's Cube. And I want a really hard one, not just one of the regular squares. A really complicated one," Ramon added. When asked if this Santa was real, Ramon replied, "Yes. He's real." Four-year-old Cleo Boudreault was in awe of meeting Santa who understood him, his parents told the outlet.
As per CBN, Franklin Torres, another parent of a deaf child, explained that his son's previous visits to Santa at the local mall were always missing something which is direct communication with the old elf himself. When any Santa found out his 8-year-old son was deaf, he would just give a wave, a thumbs up, and a pat on the back. But this time was different. Having a deaf Santa changes that, said Ramon's mom, Norma Morán. "It's the magic of Christmas for our kids," she said.
Graves's mission is not only to bring smiles but to encourage hearing parents with deaf children to learn ASL themselves and he is taking baby steps towards a day when these kids will be able to enjoy Christmas in the same way as everybody else does.
References:
https://dcist.com/story/22/12/15/santa-claus-sign-language-deaf-community-holiday-national-harbor/
https://abc7.com/charles-graves-deaf-santa-claus-sign-language-children/12572164/
Cover Image Source: YouTube | Inside Edition
