Making some house Claus

LOVELAND» Although she was a little shellshocked when Santa and Mrs. Claus walked through the front door of her home, Lily Portillo’s excitement shined through her eyes and her smile as the Christmas duo danced alongside her wheelchair to “Jingle Bell Rock,” watched her favorite Dora the Explorer Christmas movie and talked to her.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Mrs. Claus, also known as Tina Olson, said to 14-year-old Lily Portillo, pointing out that she, too, was wearing snowflake jewelry. “Isn’t this perfect? We’re snowflake twins.”

Olson and her neighbor, Stephen Roth, are the original Santa and Mrs. Claus for the Secret Sleigh Project, which Lily’s mother, Sarah Portillo, started in Loveland three years ago to find a way for children facing medical limitations to enjoy a visit from Santa at their homes.

Within days, through social media and word of mouth, Santa and Mrs. Claus were booked to visit 16 children. The next year, five different Santas visited 50 children in three states.

And this year, the joy has spread worldwide. Portillo has 114 registered Santas who have signed up and more than 200 children in 40 states and Canada receiving visits.

Other Santas are on board and waiting to be paired with children in Italy, France and Belgium, and interest has been raised in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Australia.