It’s a special time of year, and that is no exception at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. On December 6, patients and families were treated to a tree-lighting celebration that included singing, delicious holiday treats, and even “snow.” The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Employee and Volunteer Choir kept guests in the spirit throughout the ceremony, singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs, while the lyrics were displayed on screens for everyone to sing along. Even the children from the Early Learning Center joined in on the fun, as they accompanied the choir in singing “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Our December Patient of the Month, Frankie, and his sister, Kailynn, were also in attendance, and they had the honor of flipping the switch to light the Christmas tree. Click here to view Frankie's story.
The tree-lighting ceremony is a tradition that the Children’s Experiences team at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital hosts every year in order to help boost the spirit of the children who are in the hospital during the holidays. This year’s event also included special messages by Chaplain Hadson Solis and Rabbi Jonathan Tabachnikoff, as well as a Gingerbread House play area.
There are many ways to help make the holidays special for our patients and families, including supporting our Spread Joy Holiday Toy Drive.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. With more than 850 physicians, including over 500 pediatric subspecialists, the hospital and its network of outpatient centers and offices serve close to 70 percent of children in the Miami market. The only "where your child matters most™,” Nicklaus Children's is home to the region's most advanced Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower, and its centers of excellence Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The Nicklaus Children's Hospital's Transfer Center, Nick4Kids, and LifeFlight are responsible for transporting and saving close to 5,000 lives a year. Our 325-bed hospital, which is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, has many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.