'Sensitive Santa' all booked up before holiday hustle and bustle

A Sudbury shopping mall is making it easier for some kids to sit on Santa's knee this holiday season with a new program called Sensitive Santa.

Visiting Santa can be an anxious and even terrifying experience for many kids — but even more so if your child has autism or other behavioural conditions.

So, this Sunday the New Sudbury Centre is opening its doors early, dimming the lights, turning down the music, and allowing those kids and their families to visit Santa.

"It'll be before the hustle and bustle really gets going in the shopping centre," said Brenda Folz, the mall's marketing director.

"The setting is going to be a lot quieter and calmer. The [sittings] are booked at timed intervals."

The Sudbury chapter of Autism Ontario will have volunteers on hand to help out.

"It's one of those iconic things that a lot of families do, every year, without realizing that some families can't access something like that," Chapter president Jennifer Ballantyne said, adding that many of their member's families have simply skipped having pictures with Santa.

"I know some families have gone right when it opens, to hopefully get front of the line and I also hear from families who have just avoided the whole situation."

The New Sudbury mall says Sensitive Santa is booked solid for both days but will consider expanding the program next Christmas.