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Season’s Greetings and Holiday Fun in ASL ☃️

Your friends at Sorenson send wishes for a health and happiness and invite you to enjoy a special holiday treat. 

Grab some hot cocoa and gather around the screen with family and friends to enjoy two special holiday stories from Perseus McDaniel, one of our trainers. 

Signing Santa and His Deaf Reindeer 

A little girl lived in a house. On Christmas Eve, she stopped playing games and got some cookies and milk ready for Santa.  

She sat looking at the decorated Christmas tree. Her parents came to tell her it was time for bed.  

She asked to sleep on the couch instead. They allowed it as long as she slept. She looked at the tree until she fell asleep.  

Later that night, something woke her up. She saw someone in the room — Santa!  

He saw her signing his name and asked her if she is deaf. She asked if he knew sign language and when he said yes, she asked how he knew sign language. He sat down and told her the story.  

Long ago, I was riding my sleigh with my reindeer. I stopped at a farmhouse with presents. The parents saw me and said they had a deaf son. I had a reindeer with broken antlers. The boy joined me in the sleigh and we delivered the rest of the presents. When we arrived at the North Pole, I introduced the deaf boy to the deaf reindeer. They were happy to meet each other and connected right away. They helped each other and everyone else. I learned sign language from the boy. I asked the boy to become one of my elves. He accepted and he and the reindeer were happy. 

That is how I learned sign language. 

The little girl loved the story and wanted to meet the deaf reindeer. Santa said maybe someday and until then to sign “I love you” to the reindeer as they flew over her house. But now it was time for her to go to sleep and for Santa to leave.  

Sharing Joy 

As the sun sets over the land, Christmas lights shine over the city. The smells of pies, cookies, and hot chocolate linger. Stores with clothes, toys, and jewelry are busy.   

Partygoers dance and sing as they celebrate. Two people bump into each other and glances linger as they go their opposite directions. The city is full of celebration.  

In a home, two people are decorating. Their daughter, Olive, wants to help. Her parents have her decorate with them. When they are done, they tell Olive that because of her big heart, they feel she is ready to join her Deaf grandpa as he goes out to give gifts in the city as is his annual tradition.  

Excited, Olive goes to her grandpa’s home and finds him waiting in a rocking chair by the fireplace. She tells him her parents say she can join him as he gives out gifts.  

Grandpa tells Olive she can help him. He shows her the packages he has ready. He tells her these are important to spread joy throughout the city. She gets an idea — she has some small wooden stars she made that she wants to give out also. He tells her to get them and they’ll give them out.  

At 8:00, he tells her to put her coat and gloves on and they’ll leave to pass out the gifts.   

They arrive at the first house. A family of four answers the door. Olive and her grandpa give them gifts. The family thanks them.  

Grandpa teaches them how to sign “Thank you,” and “Happy holidays.”  

After they are done, Grandpa asks Olive if she’s happy. She says yes. He asks if she wants to give out more gifts? Yes!  

They go through the city giving out gifts and wishing everyone happy holidays and love until the gifts are gone.   

At the end, Grandpa tells Olive, “It touched your heart, right?”  

“Yes. It filled my heart.”   

“It’s important to remember,” Grandpa says, “that the true gift is to share your joy during the holidays with everyone, whether they are deaf, hearing, or anything else.”  

“I learned something new,” Olive says.  

Grandpa nods. “Let’s go home.”  

As they go home, the moon and stars shine brightly above them.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  

A special message from Sorenson 

Sorenson Chief Relationship Officer Wendy Adams shares a holiday greeting from us to you: 

Wendy was our employee spotlight last quarter as Sorenson’s newest Deaf executive. Have you checked out our new employee spotlight, Jason Wagner?