The homes of 17 Dallas police officers were seriously damaged or destroyed in the tornadoes.
Many of those officers have young kids – still traumatized by the disaster; and wishing they had their Christmas toys back.
A special guest stopped by to the Dallas Police Association Tuesday afternoon to give those kids some Christmas cheer.
"Ho Ho Ho Ho! Hi! Hi sweetie! How you guys doing?" Santa said
Santa turned his sleigh right around, to make sure 2-year-old Andrew Mendoza had a Merry Christmas, even if it's a few days late.
Andrew's home was destroyed in the tornado; his new toys lost and broken. His dad, a Dallas cop, says Andrew hasn't smiled much since.
That changed as soon as Andrew sat on Santa's lap. And first he was nervous, but then with each new toy his smile grew brighter.
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One of the new presents was a kid drum kit.
"I want you to play lots of music," Santa said. "But only do it when dad's sleeping, after he worked all day for citizens."
5-year-old Shantell Scott smiled from ear-to-ear on Santa's lap.
Her home was also destroyed; Christmas memories, ruined. Santa gave her dolls to play with and many new presents.
"This is special. I'm glad that she's happy," said Shantell's father, Motorcycle Officer Michael Scott. "It really touches my heart. Because what I’m giving out is now coming back. And it’s just amazing."
Scott is a 20-year veteran of the Dallas Police force. Their Rowlett home was totaled in the twister. For now, the family is living in a hotel.
"It takes a toll. So for her to smile now, it's sort of a way of letting me know she's okay," Scott said.
Scott also has twin 11-year-old boys. Santa gave them Nerf guns.
"Ho ho ho ho! You can chase your daddy around the house with that when he comes home. Ho ho ho ho!" joked Santa.
"This makes me feel happy," said 11-year-old Courtlin Scott. "Because most of my presents got destroyed in the storm, he came back and replaced them!"
Even the cops had to sit on Santa's lap. He didn't give the officers' toys, but checks courtesy of the Assist The Officer Foundation, to help them buy food, clothes, toys, and supplies for their families.
"We ain't going to let that tornado slow us down. And remember, your brothers' got your back," Santa said to Officer Alex Mendoza.
Ron Pinkston is the President of the Dallas Police Association. He's also a close associate of Santa, and helped convince Santa to make a return trip to Dallas.
"We’re going to make sure their Christmas wasn’t ruined, and that Santa came back and that those kids have a better memory of the holiday than just that's when the tornado came through," he said.
The Dallas Police Association is also offering counseling to all the officers' families impacted by the storms.
You can learn more or make a donation at atodallas.org.
