At 72, Jean-Guy Laquerre is too old to believe in Santa Claus, but not too old to delight in the magic of Christmas and appreciate the joy that Père Noël represents.Each year for the past 25, the retired school teacher has assembled a holiday shrine to Santa in his basement.
His collection of Santa-related memorabilia grew and grew, and became so vast it has been enshrined in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest.
Laquerre has more than 20,000 Santa-related items - figurines, posters, plates, napkins, cards, cookie tins, candle holders, chocolate bars, Coke bottles, neckties - even guitar picks decorated with Santas.
There are antique Santas, snoring Santas, mechanical Santas, dancing Santas and surreal Santas.
All of them have the jovial, apple-cheeked, bearded and red-suited look of the classic North American Santa that is derived from drawings made in the mid-19th century by U.S. cartoonist Thomas Nast.
"I don't collect St. Nicholas, or Sinter Claes, or any of the European versions and variations," Laquerre said.
"I'm Santa's biggest fan. He's the world's most colourful character."
His obsession began in 1985 when his wife's aunt died and he found among her belongings an antique papier mâché Santa that's now about 100 years old.
"It reminded me of my childhood, growing up in Grand Mère, and I started collecting other pieces."
He picked up Santas at garage sales, on the Internet and as a member of the Cercle des Collectionneurs, through the South Shore collectors club. The Santas fill the rumpus room and an adjoining bedroom in his home. Shelves upon shelves are loaded with Santas.
The smallest Santa is a handpainted matchbox figurine from Mauritius. There is a Santa holding a globe that Laquerre, who taught geography, is especially fond of. His most precious Santa, however, is a handcrafted, three-dimensional shadow box depicting Santa in his workshop. It was a gift from fellow collector Sylvaine Bentamine, who lives in Morocco and whom he met on the Internet.
"When we first met online, I thought, 'Santa and Morocco, that doesn't compute.' But it turned out she is from France. ... She put together clippings and scrapbooks of Santa items for me."
Laquerre claims he has no idea how much he's spent on the collection, and says it would be too expensive to insure.
For the past 30 years, the world record for the biggest Santa Claus collection has been held by a woman in Texas.
"She only had 1,039," said Laquerre, whose collection numbered more than 13,000 when he applied to Guinness World Records to be listed four years ago.
Now that the collection has been acknowledged as the world's largest, Laquerre says he'll stop collecting.
Sort of.
"I have no more room," he said. "So now I'll only buy pieces if they are unique, if they interest me. Like all collectors, I can't throw anything out, but I can't resist adding to what I have if something catches my eye."
He has a twinkle in his eye and with his outgoing personality, Laquerre could easily pass for Santa himself - if he grew a beard. But he's never donned the outfit or ever even wanted to play Santa Claus, he said.
His wife, Lise, is patiently supportive of his hobbies.
"Jean-Guy is the collector. He collects stamps, wine labels and Santa Claus stuff," she says. "Me, I collect the bills."
Latest Christmas 2008 Guinness World Records
