Mr and Mrs Claus surprise youngsters with Christmas Day visits

MORE than 20 children received a special surprise on Christmas Day, when they opened the door to find Mr and Mrs Claus on their doorstep.

Excited youngsters from Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Healing to Stallingborough couldn't believe Santa had visited them personally to deliver a Forgotten Present by hand.

Mrs Claus – aka Julie Baker, 40 – and Mr Claus – aka her dad, Chris Kuhlman, 61 – visited houses from 8.30am until 5pm and said that the children were "gob-smacked" to see them.

She said: "My dad had the idea about handing out gifts to children because he looks like Santa.

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"We work in a burger van during the week and gave out leaflets to get the word around about our idea.

"We had a great response, with 21 parents wanting us to attend on the big day.

"We were then CRB checked and parents saved their child's main Christmas present for us to present to them on the day.

"We knocked on the door and Santa told the children he had fallen off the roof and forgotten their present, so he had come back to bring it round for them.

"It was amazing – and the shocked children's faces were unreal."

Julie added that it not only brought back the festive spirit for children across North East Lincolnshire, but for herself too.

She said: "It has brought back the spirit in myself – it was magical. And hopefully I will get the chance to do it next year.

"It went down a storm and parents had tears in their eyes when we visited because it was a special moment."

The duo phoned parents minutes before they were due to deliver, and Mr and Mrs Claus even spent ten minutes with the lucky children while they opened their present – which ranged from televisions to a Nintendo DS.

Julie added: "Some children were a little shy and needed encouragement to open their present – but most of them were ripping it open and had a picture taken with us.

"They will hopefully be sharing their stories about what happened with their friends to spread the Christmas spirit."

Julie said it was "special" spending Christmas with her dad, and even though they had a busy schedule – they managed to eat Christmas dinner.

"We quickly got out of our outfits, pulled a few crackers and then we dashed out again," Julie said.

"It was the most unusual, but wonderful Christmas I have ever had."