Santa Visits Every Patient at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center

On the morning of December 24, every patient at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center received a special visit from Santa Claus, known in the community as Dean Thompson. The visits revived a tradition that hospital staff say has stretched roughly 25 years, and this year they carried added meaning because recent visitor restrictions tied to a rise in respiratory illnesses limited family access for many patients.

Volunteer Services Manager Kari Knudson led the rounds, pushing a cart overflowing with fleece blankets and knocking on door after door to offer a visit. Knudson, who was handing out blankets on her twentieth Christmas with the effort, said the program began before her time and that early donations came from Walmart. “This started a few years before I started here, so like 25 years,” explained Knudson, who was giving out blankets for her 20th Christmas. “Walmart donated blankets from their employee foundation, and then they were unable to do that anymore, so now Sanford provides the blankets and delivers them because it just brings a lot of joy to people who are in the hospital.”

Hospital staff trace the blanket tradition to longtime employee and Santa Jim Gildersleeve, a certified nursing assistant who dressed as Saint Nicholas for years and helped start the visits. Gildersleeve passed away in 2023, leaving both a hole in staff memories and the need to find a new Santa for the annual rounds.

The hospital found a successor in Dean Thompson, who served on Sanford Bemidji’s board for a decade and had been the resident Santa at the former Mistic Christmas Tree Village north of Bemidji. Thompson described his connection to the hospital and the role. “I’ve been Santa for I don't even know how many years, but I was out at the Christmas Tree Village for a number of years,” Thompson said. “And during my time on the board, I learned a lot about the great things that Sanford was doing. So it just made sense when they asked if I wanted to do this, I said, ‘Of course.’” He acknowledged the emotional weight of following Gildersleeve, saying, “But I had big shoes to fill.”

Staff say the visits lift morale across the hospital, not just for patients. Knudson admitted the routine can feel like one more task as the holidays approach, but the response changes that perspective. “I can be such a Grinch by this time of the year,” she said. “It can feel like ‘Oh, just another thing I have to do before I go on vacation.’ But then, as soon as I get here and see Dean, the joy floods in, and I remember that we are doing such an easy thing that brings so much happiness to people.” She grew emotional recalling how adults often react. “What really, like, gets me is you expect kids to be excited about it, but, like we’ve seen this morning, the adults are just so tickled,” Knudson said, tearing up.

For Beltrami County residents, the annual Santa rounds are a reminder that small, community driven efforts can make a measurable difference when medical needs and public health restrictions limit family presence. The hospital’s choice to continue the blanket tradition and keep the Santa visits going helps preserve a long standing local ritual while offering comfort to patients who might otherwise spend the holiday alone.