People are going crazy for this Santa photo – and for very good reason

Getting a good Santa photo can be hard work sometimes, but for some mums it’s virtually impossible. Children with autism or Asperger’s, for example, might not take lightly to sitting on a strange man’s lap – or anyone’s lap for that matter.

Because of this many families simply go without the Santa photos so many of us receive with glee.

At a family event in Charlotte, North Carolina, a six-year-old boy called Brayden was feeling shy about meeting Santa. The man dressed as St Nick recognised instantly how the boy was feeling, and stepped down from his traditional chair to do this:

Brayden’s mum, Erin, told Fox News that Brayden was diagnosed with autism at three, and that she was so grateful to Santa for allowing her son to feel “normal”.

“Oh my gosh, to be able to do something that other families do … normally a lot of things are harder for us as a family, and we got to do the same tradition as everyone else. We just do it on the floor,” she said.

This beautiful moment happened at an Autism Speaks Caring Santa event, and has touched many hearts around the world.

I’m an Autism mama.

Holidays, events and traditions that are out of the norm from our every day routine are really difficult for my kid – especially if there’s a social aspect to it.

Things like trick-or-treating, parades, and sitting on Santa’s lap are often times completely out of the question for our family (though it is getting better for us, in many ways).

Do you have a grandchild with special needs? Does it warm your heart to see someone going out of their way to connect with a child in this way?