Most people have some set of normal family holiday traditions, my family included. Recently, we had the opportunity to mix it up a bit though.
We’ve all heard of Santa visiting children on Christmas Eve and the Easter Bunny visiting them on Easter morning, only to slip out without ever being seen and leaving gifts behind, so why not a Leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day?
Well, that’s exactly what we did this year, and we invited some of our little friends to join us in the fun! Thanks to the help of Wings and Whimsies, we were able to show the kids a very funny and mischievous “real life” leprechaun for the first time ever!
You may have seen some of their magical fairytale characters around Columbia at venues such as Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, schools, libraries, daycares, or festivals such as Tartan Day South and the Irmo International Festival. They specialize in bringing children’s imaginations into reality and have recently partnered up with a company from England called Elftastic Elves to provide parents with the opportunity to bring these mystical creatures right to their own back yards.
You may be thinking that this is just too much, but as the mom of a child with ASD, this experience was not just magical for the few children we had gathered together to observe, it was magical for my husband and me as well. You see, our little guy does not like a lot of noise or big crowds, so being able to take him to see characters such as Santa or the Easter Bunny at venues like the mall is not an option for us.
Having this funny leprechaun sneak into our backyard causing mischief and leaving a trail of lucky charms, candy, and gold trinkets behind while our son was curiously transfixed in observing, without the crowds and noise from dozens of other people making him cover his ears and want to flee, was a beautiful and cathartic gift.
As the children gathered excitedly at the windows to watch, our son allowed the three of them to be in his space, and he did not become overstimulated. In fact, he was having long conversations with them even though he had just met two of the children. This is something that at one time, we were not sure if we would ever get to see. So, for us, this simple service being provided by Wings and Whimsies was a really big deal, and we are extremely thankful to them for allowing us the opportunity to experience it with our son.
I’m sure there are other companies around the country who provide these services as well, so please, if you know of any don’t hesitate to leave that information in the comments for us! Wings and Whimsies just happens to be local to us here in Columbia and we were so lucky to have found them. They also offer other characters such as fairies, mermaids, pirates, gnomes, unicorn princesses, elves, living statues, and even the Easter bunny! So if you’re looking for something extraordinary, or even the ordinary, check them out!
