Advertisement

Homeless “Santa Claus” whose suit was stolen gets Christmas surprise

One sure fire way to get yourself on the naughty list for this holiday season is stealing from none other than Santa Claus himself.

Last week, after a homeless “Santa Claus” in Moncton put his head down to rest, his red-and-white suit along with all of his other belongings were stolen, reports Global News.

Fernand Gautreau, 64, who had a yearly tradition of dressing up as Santa Claus to make children smile and spread some holiday cheer, was devastated when he woke up in the public washroom he took refuge in, to find his beloved suit missing.

He was a man who seemingly had nothing, but always had something to give. “They say, ‘Mom, Santa Claus!” he told CBC News, speaking of his encounters with the children. “I do it for them. And for me, yes, but for them.”

Gautreau, who has been living on the streets on and off in Moncton for about three years has been battling alcoholism for decades, reports Global News. At the time of the theft, he had three bags, his suit, phone and blankets.

But luckily for Gautreau, Santa has little helpers from all across the internet.

After speaking with him, Aleisha MacPherson shared his story on Facebook. “It really hurt my feelings that someone would do that to someone that’s obviously less fortunate than someone else,“ she told CBC News.

When Claude St. Coeur saw the post, he turned to his girlfriend and said, “‘My God Sharon, look at this.’ The poor man didn’t have anything left.”

The couple, who were out shopping in New York at the time, bought Gautreau some new clothes, dug out the Santa suit St. Coeur had in storage delivered the wrapped presents to Gautreau at the House of Nazareth homeless shelter.

“I had put the suit away and said that maybe I can give it to somebody to put it to good use,” St. Coeur, who used to play Santa for the neighbourhood children for 21 years before he retired, told Global News.

Gautreau, who was reduced to tears by the gesture, also received a new bike and a new cart from other kind strangers.