First Lady Melania Trump Visits Children's Hospital to Bring Holiday Cheer

Steve Warren
12-06-2019

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First lady Melania Trump continued a 60-year-old tradition on Friday when she made an annual holiday visit to the Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC.  

Mrs. Trump wanted to bring a little cheer to families in need. She met with patients, their families and the hospital staff before joining Santa and Mrs. Claus in the reading of the children's book Oliver the Ornament Meets Belle. The book is a sequel to Oliver the Ornament which she read last year.

Written by Todd Zimmerman, Oliver the Ornament is a seven-book series that celebrates the tradition and stories of Christmas ornaments. The story focuses on a little ornament who faces challenges but is able to overcome all odds to save the day.

Zimmerman has donated more than 3,000 copies of the book to hospitalized children and will be donating a percentage of profits from all books sold to various children's charities.

The tradition of first ladies visiting the children's hospital during the Christmas season was started by Elizabeth "Bess" Truman, the wife of President Harry S. Truman. 

During her visit, Mrs. Trump also stopped to visit with young patients in a playroom and also participated in a Christmas art project making paper snowflakes. 

She also used her time to help three children with crafting the snowflakes, offering words of advice and encouragement.

The first lady asked the children if they had written to Santa yet.  

"He's so busy right now," Mrs. Trump said of Santa Claus. "You should write him this weekend."

Mrs. Trump also toured the hospital's Surgical Care Unit and the Short Stay Unit and visited with patients, their families, and the staff. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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