SPRINGVILLE, Utah — There might be an age where people stop believing in Santa Claus, but Danny Wilkinson hasn't reached it just yet. The Springville resident wasn't looking for much this holiday season but reached out to the one person he knew who could help make his life just a little easier.
Wilkinson is disabled and is forced to rely on the help of his sister, who lives nearly 20 miles away in Santaquin, to drive him around.
So when Wilkinson saw Santa Claus answering phone calls on Good Day Utah last week, he joined a phone line alongside hundreds of children decades younger than himself in hopes that St. Nick could help his wish come true.
"I don't have a car and I can't walk very well," Wilkinson told Santa when he finally got him on the phone. "So if I woke up to even a piece of junk car, I would be so thrilled."
Coz Green, who portrays the jolly big man but truly embodies his spirit, promised Danny that he'd do his best.
It's safe to say that Santa (and Green) certainly lived up to the promise.
On Christmas Eve, Santa ditched his sleigh and drove up in a traditional vehicle of the four-wheel variety, delivering a new car to Wilkinson's home, all thanks to Green and Pablo's Autos in Midvale.
"I did not believe my eyes," an emotional Wilkinson shared. "I did not expect something like this."
"Love is the greatest gift that we give at Christmas," said Green, aka, Santa. "Santa Claus is a spirit, and we can practice the spirit of Christmas every day of the year."
While posing with Santa and Pablo, Wilkinson admitted that it was hard to smile while he was crying.
"A miracle happened, it's changed my whole life," Wilkinson said. I don't need to rely on other people to run my around. There is no way I can thank you enough."
