December 26, 2025 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener and regular contributor Stephen Rusiniak shares the story of the time he worked in a nursing home as a teenager and what happened when Santa made an unexpected visit.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
This is Lee Hibib and this is our American Stories.
And we tell stories about everything here on this show,
from the arts to sports, and from business to history
and everything in between, including your stories. Send us your
story small or large to our email oas at our
American Stories dot com. That'sas at Ouramerican Stories dot com.
(00:50):
We'd love to hear them and put them on the air.
Our audience loves them too. Today we have one of
our regular features brought to us by Stephen Rassinia. This
time his nephew Paul is reading his story for us.
The story is entitled God Bless You too, Sanna.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
There was a boring regularity to life on the floors.
The residents of this nursing home didn't expect nor welcome change.
But at Christmas time everything did change, and one year
something happened that two teenagers will never forget. Christmas was
just days away. Decorations of band and a steady stream
of holiday tunes quietly playing in the background only added
(01:31):
to the joyful atmosphere. Staff members hummed while performing their duties,
and the residents well, they were drawn into the excitement.
A surprise visitor was about to make this day even better.
The residents love children, their visits, especially around the holidays,
proved magical. Suddenly even the grouchiest senior became agreeable. Kids
(01:52):
brought out the very best in everyone on the floors.
On this afternoon, a children's choir was scheduled to perform,
and they had promised to bring with them a special guest.
Who could it be, they wondered. By early afternoon, everybody
knew the answer. Santa Claus was coming to town. And
so they waited and they became children again. A giddy
(02:13):
sense of excitement filled these old kids as they began
asking the important questions, what will they sing? Is Santa
really coming? And most important of all, do you think
he'll bring cookies? Later that afternoon, and as promised, a
children's choir burst forth into the day room, singing a
spirited rendition of jingle bells. For the next hour, audience
(02:33):
members were treated to so many of their favorite carols,
and when the final words too we wish you a
Merry Christmas were being sung, a thunderous ho ho hold
reverberate throughout the room. A well padded and very youthful
looking Santa Claus arrived and he had a large tray
of assorted holiday cookies. The choir joined Santa as he
(02:55):
mingled with his audience, stopping often to give and receive hugs.
When it was time to feed his reindeer, a nurse
asked if he'd visit with the bed ridden patience. Of course,
he said, and he did just that. Margaret was confined
to her hospital bed, and yet on this day she
was just another excited little girl awaiting Santa. She heard
(03:16):
the choir outside her room, but was thrilled when a
booming ho ho ho echoed from her doorway. With failing eyes,
she saw his silhouette, Santa. She whispered, approaching her bedside,
and in his pretend Santa voice, he called out, Merry Christmas, Margaret,
adding and what do you want for Christmas? Little girl?
(03:37):
Several members of Santa's holiday entourage smiled because they knew
Margaret's nurse had already asked this same question, and they
already knew her answer. With a twinkle in her eyes,
she quietly said, I want to kiss from you, Santa.
Laughter filled the room, and all eyes were quickly upon him,
curious to see his reaction. The laughing stopped when Santa
(03:59):
gently took Margaret in his own bent down and kissed her.
Merry Christmas, he said, softer now, but still in his
pretend voice. Merry Christmas, Santa, she replied. A smile appeared
upon her wrinkled face as tears welled up in her
tired old eyes. Santa lingered for another moment, and then,
(04:20):
while still holding her hand, he quietly said, now in
his own voice, God bless you, Margaret, God bless you too, Santa.
She whispered back. The sounds of muffled sobs suddenly filled
the room. Fortunately, the nurse reminded Sanda that he had
other patients to visit, and so he moved on. Little
did he know it was time for someone else to
(04:40):
be moving on. Also, Santa's group visited every bedridden patient,
and afterwards he decided on one last stop. He asked
his nurse escort if he could say goodbye to Margaret.
Struggling to find the right words, she told him that
Margaret had died soon after he had left her room.
She said that in her final moments, Margaret spoke of
(05:01):
being blessed by Santa, and of course that he had
kissed her. The nurse reassured him that when the end came.
Margaret was content and that he was the reason why
Santa thanked the nurse for telling him and then quickly
left the floor. Nobody would want to see Santa Claus
cry I worked at this nursing home where the elderly lived,
and in the end they died. I'll never forget Santa's visit.
(05:24):
He rarely set foot on the floors. Instead, he remained
downstairs working as a part time dishwasher. He made a
pretty good Santa close though we were both still kids
on that afternoon, all those years ago. Since then, my
brother Paul and I have come a long way.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And thanks to Stephen Risiniac for that beautiful story. And
we can picture in our heads that scene, that final scene,
and also imagine hearing that news that you'd put a
smile on someone's face just before they died. And what
a beautiful thing to do. Probably the most formidable thing
that happened in my life in high school, well, actually
(06:01):
by far, the most formidable thing that happened was dating
a girl who worked at a nursing home. And of course,
because she was there, I was there, and I just
got to know these folks, these these older people who
many of them didn't have family visit, didn't have family left,
everybody had died, and just being with them and spending
time with them and then watching them pass after having
(06:23):
developed relationships with them, it made me different than the
other kids. Stephen Versinniak's story, Margaret's story, and for so
many caregivers across this country their stories too. Here on
our American Story, Lee h Habib here, and I'm inviting
(07:26):
you to help our American Stories celebrate this country's two
hundred and fiftieth birthday coming soon. If you want to
help inspire countless others to love America like we do,
and want to help us bring the inspiring and important
stories told here about a good and beautiful country, please
consider making a tax deductible donation to our American Stories.
Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and click the donate button.
(07:49):
Any amount helps, go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and
give them
This is Lee Hibib and this is our American Stories.
And we tell stories about everything here on this show,
from the arts to sports, and from business to history
and everything in between, including your stories. Send us your
story small or large to our email oas at our
American Stories dot com. That'sas at Ouramerican Stories dot com.
(00:50):
We'd love to hear them and put them on the air.
Our audience loves them too. Today we have one of
our regular features brought to us by Stephen Rassinia. This
time his nephew Paul is reading his story for us.
The story is entitled God Bless You too, Sanna.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
There was a boring regularity to life on the floors.
The residents of this nursing home didn't expect nor welcome change.
But at Christmas time everything did change, and one year
something happened that two teenagers will never forget. Christmas was
just days away. Decorations of band and a steady stream
of holiday tunes quietly playing in the background only added
(01:31):
to the joyful atmosphere. Staff members hummed while performing their duties,
and the residents well, they were drawn into the excitement.
A surprise visitor was about to make this day even better.
The residents love children, their visits, especially around the holidays,
proved magical. Suddenly even the grouchiest senior became agreeable. Kids
(01:52):
brought out the very best in everyone on the floors.
On this afternoon, a children's choir was scheduled to perform,
and they had promised to bring with them a special guest.
Who could it be, they wondered. By early afternoon, everybody
knew the answer. Santa Claus was coming to town. And
so they waited and they became children again. A giddy
(02:13):
sense of excitement filled these old kids as they began
asking the important questions, what will they sing? Is Santa
really coming? And most important of all, do you think
he'll bring cookies? Later that afternoon, and as promised, a
children's choir burst forth into the day room, singing a
spirited rendition of jingle bells. For the next hour, audience
(02:33):
members were treated to so many of their favorite carols,
and when the final words too we wish you a
Merry Christmas were being sung, a thunderous ho ho hold
reverberate throughout the room. A well padded and very youthful
looking Santa Claus arrived and he had a large tray
of assorted holiday cookies. The choir joined Santa as he
(02:55):
mingled with his audience, stopping often to give and receive hugs.
When it was time to feed his reindeer, a nurse
asked if he'd visit with the bed ridden patience. Of course,
he said, and he did just that. Margaret was confined
to her hospital bed, and yet on this day she
was just another excited little girl awaiting Santa. She heard
(03:16):
the choir outside her room, but was thrilled when a
booming ho ho ho echoed from her doorway. With failing eyes,
she saw his silhouette, Santa. She whispered, approaching her bedside,
and in his pretend Santa voice, he called out, Merry Christmas, Margaret,
adding and what do you want for Christmas? Little girl?
(03:37):
Several members of Santa's holiday entourage smiled because they knew
Margaret's nurse had already asked this same question, and they
already knew her answer. With a twinkle in her eyes,
she quietly said, I want to kiss from you, Santa.
Laughter filled the room, and all eyes were quickly upon him,
curious to see his reaction. The laughing stopped when Santa
(03:59):
gently took Margaret in his own bent down and kissed her.
Merry Christmas, he said, softer now, but still in his
pretend voice. Merry Christmas, Santa, she replied. A smile appeared
upon her wrinkled face as tears welled up in her
tired old eyes. Santa lingered for another moment, and then,
(04:20):
while still holding her hand, he quietly said, now in
his own voice, God bless you, Margaret, God bless you too, Santa.
She whispered back. The sounds of muffled sobs suddenly filled
the room. Fortunately, the nurse reminded Sanda that he had
other patients to visit, and so he moved on. Little
did he know it was time for someone else to
(04:40):
be moving on. Also, Santa's group visited every bedridden patient,
and afterwards he decided on one last stop. He asked
his nurse escort if he could say goodbye to Margaret.
Struggling to find the right words, she told him that
Margaret had died soon after he had left her room.
She said that in her final moments, Margaret spoke of
(05:01):
being blessed by Santa, and of course that he had
kissed her. The nurse reassured him that when the end came.
Margaret was content and that he was the reason why
Santa thanked the nurse for telling him and then quickly
left the floor. Nobody would want to see Santa Claus
cry I worked at this nursing home where the elderly lived,
and in the end they died. I'll never forget Santa's visit.
(05:24):
He rarely set foot on the floors. Instead, he remained
downstairs working as a part time dishwasher. He made a
pretty good Santa close though we were both still kids
on that afternoon, all those years ago. Since then, my
brother Paul and I have come a long way.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And thanks to Stephen Risiniac for that beautiful story. And
we can picture in our heads that scene, that final scene,
and also imagine hearing that news that you'd put a
smile on someone's face just before they died. And what
a beautiful thing to do. Probably the most formidable thing
that happened in my life in high school, well, actually
(06:01):
by far, the most formidable thing that happened was dating
a girl who worked at a nursing home. And of course,
because she was there, I was there, and I just
got to know these folks, these these older people who
many of them didn't have family visit, didn't have family left,
everybody had died, and just being with them and spending
time with them and then watching them pass after having
(06:23):
developed relationships with them, it made me different than the
other kids. Stephen Versinniak's story, Margaret's story, and for so
many caregivers across this country their stories too. Here on
our American Story, Lee h Habib here, and I'm inviting
(07:26):
you to help our American Stories celebrate this country's two
hundred and fiftieth birthday coming soon. If you want to
help inspire countless others to love America like we do,
and want to help us bring the inspiring and important
stories told here about a good and beautiful country, please
consider making a tax deductible donation to our American Stories.
Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and click the donate button.
(07:49):
Any amount helps, go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and
give them
Host
Lee Habeeb
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