Barack Obama dressed as Santa to surprise kids at a children's hospital

'Tis the season to sob uncontrollably.
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 

'Tis the season to watch the former president of the United States be cute as hell, apparently.

Barack Obama spent Wednesday donning a Santa hat and spreading holiday cheer while handing out presents at Washington's Children’s National hospital.

Footage shared by the hospital on Twitter shows an excited crowd singing carols, cheering for, and taking photos of Obama Claus in the hallway. The former POTUS greets patients with presents, dances into rooms, and even gives out some hugs.

"I had a chance to talk to some of the wonderful kids and their families and at a time that's obviously tough for a lot of folks. And as the dad of two girls I can only imagine in that situation to have nurses, staff, doctors, and people who are caring for them and looking after them and listening to them, and just there for them and holding their hand. That's the most important thing there is. What a great reminder of what the holiday spirit's supposed to be all about," Obama said.

Obama also tweeted his love for the children, families, and staff of Children's National, thanking them for "humoring" him as their stand-in Santa.

Obama Claus visited individual patient's rooms to chat with children and their families, and even broke his no selfies rule to pose with some excited fans, per the Washington Post, handing out gifts like jigsaw puzzles, Hot Wheels, remote-control cars, and glitter nail polish.

And that wasn't all. Before Obama left the hospital he stopped to thank members of the staff and reportedly recorded a video message that will played "on the hospital’s internal TV system" for anyone who missed his visit.

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Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

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