‘King of Christmas’ collector in Montreal amasses over 700 Santa Claus figurines

For more than 15 years now, Christmas lover and Santa enthusiast Noël Audet has been proudly collecting Santa Claus figurines and now owns upwards of 700 Santas.

His collection of Santas can even be seen from outside, as passersby and visitors are greeted by a mechanical Santa in the window that waves and lights up.

Once inside, the Santa appearances continued, as multiple figurines can be found around the television set, with one clutching a welcome sign — fitting for a man dressed in his favourite holiday gear boasting a smile in anticipation of the massive collection he was about to show.

“When the Santa Claus figurines first arrived, we forgot all about the Christmas trees. The Santa Clauses are nicer!” explained Audet about how the collection started and has since continued to grow every year.

“I just bought two more just five days ago. I didn’t want to buy any more but I figured I don’t smoke. I even bought two more about 15 days ago and it was only $20,” added Audet as he turned on the function on his new Mrs. Claus figurine that plays the famous and classic Christmas tune Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.

The figurines range in size, style, and price, with some costing more than $200 a piece. They are neatly organized and maintained by Audet himself when he comes to admire them and get his dose of holiday spirit.

“When I come down the stairs and arrive in the room, it’s red everywhere, I love it,” he said.

And if having hundreds of Santa figurines wasn’t enough to show his devotion to Christmas, he even embodies the historical figure himself when he dresses as Santa Claus for local kids.

Open Gallery 3 items

“On Dec. 20, I’m going to be Santa Claus at the multiethnic community centre here in Montreal North. There should be around 130 kids this year, we’ll see. I’ve been Santa Claus for them for six or seven years now,” said Audet.

At the end of the holiday season, which for Audet is usually around mid-January, all of the hundreds of figurines come down from their allocated spot on the shelf to be stored safely for the remainder of the year. 

“It takes a minimum of 15 hours to put away the Santas here. I make shelves and nail holes in the walls, so it doesn’t fall. I also must look for the boxes and bring them up.”