Marin Wolf

The Boston Globe For children whose loved ones are navigating mental health issues, life can bring staggering challenges.

Family members are left with the massive financial and emotional responsibility of taking in nieces, nephews and grandchildren when their loved ones are overcome by addiction.

Globe Santa wants to give a bit of it back The Boston Globe A family's world shifts on its axis when a child gets sick.

The parents writing to Globe Santa want to give their children a normal, joy-filled holiday, where toys and games replace thoughts of scary diagnoses, if only for a brief time.

The Boston Globe It's a promise children hear often: If they work hard and are kind, their good behavior will be rewarded at the holidays.

The splendor of birthdays can get lost during the holidays. Friends leave town, parties become impossible to schedule and a day meant to celebrate you blurs into the rest of the season's madness.

The Boston Globe The black leather boots clacked against the smooth concrete floor. There was a flash of red velvet and white fur.

Sometimes, creating the magic of the holidays is too much for one family to bear, especially following the death of a loved one. That’s where Globe Santa steps in.

Several families are mourning the loss of a parent and navigating a time of year that magnifies the holes they leave behind.

On Sunday morning, Globe Santa had arrived at Boston Public Market. By Marin Wolf 3 minutes to read