Meet ‘Rudolph’ the Ford F-150 Lightning Spreading Christmas Joy to Poorly Kids in Norway

OSLO, Norway – A Ford F-150 Lightning, nicknamed Rudolph, is embarking on a festive mission in Norway, helping to deliver gifts to poorly children in paediatric wards at 23 hospitals nationwide.

Loaned by Ford, the all-electric pickup will tow a special Santa sleigh packed with presents up and down the country, starting on December 1st in Molde and Ålesund and finishing at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim on December 19th.

The tour is part of a collaboration between Ford Norway and Bearded Men Norway, a group with a shared interest in facial hair who are committed to contributing to a better world.

Bearded Men’s Ove Lunde Skjeggmann is Santa General and Chief Elf for this project. He explains: “This year, we will cover between 10,000 and 15,000 kilometers in our new electric 'sleigh' from Ford to visit children in hospitals from Hammerfest in the north to Kristiansand in the south.

“Along the way, we will distribute over 25,000 small Christmas gifts. We could never do this without great partners – and we are incredibly grateful for their support.”

The Christmas gift tour will be supported by around 70 bearded Santas who show up when the electric Christmas sleigh arrives in their region. It all started by chance five years ago when a nurse who is a friend of Ove called him and asked if the bearded men could support because they could no longer afford to pay for a Santa Claus. Since then, it has grown bigger each year.

Ove adds: “It gives us real Christmas spirit to be able to bring joy to children who have to spend Christmas in the hospital – with real Santas who all have to pass a beard test. The children often pull on the beard and discover that it is actually real.

“Many of the meetings with the children are very moving. Even though most of it is joyful, it is hard to meet children who are seriously ill. I have two small children myself, so it hits closer to home. Then it helps to have a fellow Santa to talk to afterward. That is part of the point of Skjeggmenn Norway – we talk about everything from engines and beard oil to mental health.”

As part of this project, Ford also is donating some Lego toys as present for the children. Ford Norway’s communications director Anne Sønsteby told @Ford: “Being able to contribute a bit of light and joy to children who have to spend Christmas in the hospital means a lot to us. It feels meaningful. Such collaborations, which are about giving something back to the community, have been an important part of Ford for more than 120 years.”