MINNEAPOLIS –Kyle Rudolph may not have a white beard, and his go-to suit color typically isn't red, but he did spread plenty of holiday cheer to patients Tuesday at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

Rudolph and his wife, Jordan, sponsored "Rudy's Holiday Huddle" for patients and their families, who mingled in the lobby and enjoyed a dose of holiday – and Vikings – cheer. Rudolph said it was a special event.

"The Christmas one is always fun," Rudolph said. "To have Santa Claus there and a bunch of presents, good food, decorations and cookies in the lobby. And always being able to visit the rooms and see the kids, ask them what's at the top of their Christmas list and just try to bring a smile to their faces during the holiday season."

Viktor the Viking interacted with guests and snapped photos with patients, a small choir sang Christmas carols, and a holiday-dinner buffet was enjoyed by many.

Joining Rudolph on the visit were teammates Sam Bradford, Jeff Locke, David Morgan, Nick Easton, Zac Kerin, Willie Beavers and Cedric Thompson. In addition, Vikings alumni Ryan Hoag, Tyrone Carter and Tuineau Alipate joined the festivities. Patients received purple Minnesota Vikings license plates to get autographed, and they also took photos with former and current players.

"It makes it even better when we get asked by one of our teammates to do the visit," said Locke, who makes several visits to children's hospitals throughout the year. "We respond to that and say, 'We're there. We want to help you out any way we can.' "

Locke enjoyed contributing a portion of his day off to spend time with the young patients and give them a memorable experience.

Bradford, Rudolph and Locke also made bed-side visits to some unable to attend the party.

"I was lucky enough to be able to visit some of the kids who weren't able to make it down," Locke said. "It's always great to see the kids light up, especially around this time of year.

"Some of the best reactions are actually some of the family members in the room," Locke added. "Sometimes they haven't seen their [son or daughter] smile for maybe a couple of days, and to see us come in and have the slightest little smile or the slightest laugh can make all the difference."

One visit specifically stood out to Rudolph, who said it means a lot to make a patient's day just by briefly spending time with him or her.

"There was one young lady that had just gotten to the hospital that morning, and she wasn't feeling well at all," Rudolph said. "But she insisted that we come in to see her. She was fighting to stay awake throughout our visit just because she wanted to spend time with us."

The Rudolphs are passionate about their partnership with the children's hospital and have enjoyed the number of festivities held there for patients and families throughout the season. While it's especially difficult to see so many patients in the hospital around the holidays, Rudolph said it means that much more to host the December event.

"If they're at the hospital right now, it means they don't have the opportunity to leave," Rudolph said. "I honestly wish we would go on these holiday visits and there wouldn't be anyone there. That would be the best-case scenario. But unfortunately there's still families and patients there, and we just try to bring the holidays to them and make this time as enjoyable for them as we can."