This Missouri Hospital Did Something Amazing for its NICU Babies

Sally Morrow Photography A newborn at the NICU at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri.

Good things come in small packages, and that's especially true in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City in Missouri.

With Christmas right around the corner, the hospital teamed up with Santa Claus and March of Dimes Kansas City to give parents of 31 NICU babies something extra special this holiday season.

With the help of NICU nurses and staff, they came together to make tiny packages, hats and keepsake cards to celebrate what truly amazing "gifts" the NICU babies are this holiday season. Wrapped in blankets like little gifts, the "packages" were delivered by Santa himself. Three volunteer photographers—all moms of former NICU babies themselves—were on hand to catch every bit of cuteness.

"The holidays can be an especially emotional time for families in the NICU. Babies here are usually born premature or sick, and they may spend weeks or months growing healthy enough to go home. So providing these special families with an opportunity to celebrate the holidays in a memorable way allows them a sense of normalcy, and an opportunity to celebrate their babies' first milestones— even in the hospital—which is what every family wants to do!" March of Dimes explained in a press release.

Each family was given a keepsake "Twas the Night Before Christmas" card with their baby's footprint, a hand-crocheted Santa bag filled with candy, and a hand-crocheted Santa hat or girl's cap with a bow, along with a keepsake holiday book. Families who celebrate Hanukkah were given beautiful blue and silver presents and keepsakes, and families who celebrate Kwanzaa were given red, green, gold and black gifts.