Donald Teuma-Castelletti
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Dec. 1, 2018
Residents of The Friends of St. Joseph’s Manor rang in the holiday season with quite the festive party on Saturday, as family, friends, and even Mr. and Mrs. Claus dropped by for an afternoon party.
Beginning with a bake sale in the morning, before giving way to a wine and cheese in the afternoon, the Manor was filled with Christmas cheer, as the Clauses made their rounds and JR and the Gator brought the sounds of the season for entertainment.
President Denis Larivière said the annual party, running 10 years or so now, is always paired with the arrival of Santa during the Campbell’s Bay parade. The gathering is a favourite of the residents, he explained, because many family members descend upon the Manor for the day.
As well, the event kicks off a series of visits from local schools and daycares throughout December, said Larivière. Every week groups of children will be visiting the residents, participating in a variety of activities such as singing Christmas carols.
“It’s nice to bring in the daycare children because you get the four and five year-olds singing to residents,” he said, adding that many children will see a great-grandparent there. “It brings lots of smiles.”
He continued to say that the wine and cheese gathering is a personal favourite, as it allows the families of residents to speak directly to him about the Manor. This way, he’s able to hear exactly what the residents think of their home and can curate feedback on the services.
While the morning was devoted to the bake sale – raising an additional $1,500 towards the new addition on the Manor – the early afternoon allowed for the fun to be let loose. JR and the Gator played some Christmas classics, as well as many old school songs to keep the good times rolling.
The highlight for many residents, it appeared, occurred towards the end of the party, when Santa Claus showed up. Greeting all the tables, he was proud to show off the arrival of Mrs. Claus and her homemade outfit.
Brian Laporte and Lynne Goetz were portraying the Clauses this year, with the missus making her grand debut of the costume. Accompanying the couple were a couple of elves sans costumes, delivering goodie bags to the party on behalf of the municipalities of Campbell’s Bay and Litchfield.
