WILMINGTON, N.C. – It's always tough on parents with deaf children when they realize that interacting with Santa is nearly impossible for their kids. Gestures from a willing Santa go a long way, but it isn't the same as being able to talk to him in their own language.

“Having deaf Santa is very important because communication and having communication in his language means a lot to me as a parent, to see that he has this opportunity,” says Christina Moore, whose son is deaf.

Moore's son is old enough to realize that Santa talks in movies and TV shows, but he can't communicate with him in real life. The Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services put together a storytelling session with deaf Santa Jeff Greer to fill that gap for kids who just want to be able to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

“When they sit with me and they start asking their parents to tell me things, I say, 'No you can tell me exactly what you want,' so then they have this look of surprise on their face,” Greer says.

Deaf specialist Daisy Rivenbark says not only is this meeting the emotional needs of deaf children at the holidays, it's helping them develop language just like reading stories does for any child. It does her heart good to see the kids' faces light up as they realize that Santa is just like them.

“Signing is a good thing for children, we want people to be more comfortable with our communication methods and not to be afraid of us or hesitant to approach us because of that communication barrier,” Rivenbark says.

Greer says there's a big difference between being a signing Santa storyteller and a deaf Santa storyteller. One makes him a part of the hearing world, but capable of using sign language, the other shows the kids that he lives the same life they do.

“During this time of year, where there is change, this is very inspiring to me. It's very heartwarming to me to see the faces of all these children realizing that I can communicate the same as them,” Greer says. “Seeing their understanding of that is very meaningful.”