Barack Obama Spreads Holiday Cheer with Surprise Visit to Pre-K Classroom: 'Hi Everybody, I'm Skinny Santa!'

"I love this time of year," the former president said as he arrived at Parkside Academy to read a story to children and pass out gifts

Former President Barack Obama brought holiday spirit to a classroom of young children this week, surprising them with Christmas gifts and leading a playful storytime.

At Chicago's Parkside Community Academy on Tuesday, pre-K teacher Debra Gardner gathered her students on a reading carpet in the front of the classroom and held up a photo of the 44th president, asking the kids to tell her his name and the important title he held. As Gardner's students shouted out the answers, President Obama appeared in the doorway wearing a Santa hat and carrying a sack full of toys.

"Hi everybody, I am skinny Santa!" Obama said as he walked in the room. "I wanted to come by and read a story about Santa to you guys. Can I do that?"

He then held up a copy of the children's book Santa's Gotta Go! — written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Courtney Lovett — about Santa turning into a raucous houseguest when he gets stranded at a family's home after his sleigh breaks down.

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During the storytime, President Obama — an Emmy Award-winning narrator — offered lively commentary, engaging the kids with questions along the way, like whether they would let Santa crash at their house if they had the choice.

"This story is about being nice to people when they need some help, right?" Obama said after finishing the book. "I want everybody during Christmas to be nice to their teachers and I want them to be nice to their parents, because you know, let me tell you, Christmas isn't here yet so Santa's still keeping his list."

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Before finishing his visit, the former president gifted the classroom a new set of toys and handed out winter accessories for each child to take home, also taking a moment to pose with the group.

Related: The Sweetest Photos of Barack and Michelle Obama Through the Years

The Obama Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit co-founded in 2014 by President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, has made an effort to engage with and invest in its local communities as it prepares to open the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side in 2025.

The center's ambitious campus will include Obama's official presidential museum, an athletic facility, a branch of the city's library, a park, a playground, and fruit and vegetable gardens.

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