Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
LADYSMITH Dec. 10, 2017
Santa Claus made his annual visit to Ladysmith over the weekend, bringing a bag of goodies to all the kids on his nice list.
Visiting the TCRA Hall, kids had the chance to meet Santa individually, sit on his lap and receive a present from him, before enjoying a lunch provided by the local recreation association.
Starting in the late 80’s, St. Nick has annually made his trip to the town with the help and guidance of event organizer Joyce McCleary Binder, who helps him distribute the gift bags and prepare them while his elves are busy at the North Pole.

“The families have to register by the end of November, and a Thorne resident gets a book from the TCRA,” said McCleary Binder.
This year they had 14 kids from Thorne registered, and another 11 non-residents register. When a kid is not from Thorne, the parents are asked to provide a book to put into their gift bag.
“We try to keep it simple,” she said. “But this is the panic moment – once all the gifts are given out, I’m looking around to make sure no one was missed or showed up unexpected.”
After the visit from Santa, a lunch and desserts are provided for families, with the help of all the TCRA volunteers.
“Lunch is simple and what kids like, hotdogs,” said McCleary Binder. “We get a few volunteers and this all comes together.”
As for why she continues to help Santa visit Thorne each year? That’s an answer that only gets more satisfying year-after-year.
“Now, I can look around and see people here with their little ones, who came here themselves as children,” she said