'In-house Santa' once again wows Village on the Thames residents

Yvon Robichaud played Saint Nick and residents got photos taken with him as gifts
2/1/2023  - Deron Hamel
 

Village on the Thames team member Yvon Robichaud has a gift that's a valuable asset to the Chatham-Kent seniors living community when the Christmas season rolls around: he has a long beard that, when coupled with a red hat and coat, makes him look a lot like Santa Claus.

And there's nothing more Yvon enjoys during the holiday season than playing the part of Saint Nick and paying residents a visit and spending some time with them individually, says Tina Drew, the fun co-ordinator at the Village on the Thames.

Just before Christmas, Yvon went around the Village on the Thames visiting residents while team members took their photos. Residents were then given the photos, which were put into frames, as Christmas presents.

Yvon's portrayal of Santa was so authentic that one resident didn't even recognize him – the resident thought Yvon was someone else they knew, Tina says.

“He was that convincing,” Tina tells S&R Today.

Yvon has a long history of playing Santa Claus for residents, but because of restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has not been able to put on his costume for residents since Christmas 2019, Tina says.

After skipping the Santa visits for two years, Tina says Yvon made a noticeable positive impact on residents.

“It was nice to see the residents' faces light up; they were so happy, they were just like kids,” she says. “And they really appreciated it.”

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