This Montreal man is so crazy for Santa, he has a whole room of figurines

A Montreal North man is so crazy for Christmas that he’s filled his home with more than 700 Santa figurines.

Noel Audet began collecting after retiring as a plumber 15 years ago. Now 77, he has turned his basement into a wall-to-wall shrine to Saint Nick, displaying 702 Santa Claus ornaments, dolls, figures and stuffed toys.

“Santa Claus here, Santa Claus there!” he jokes, gesturing around the room.

Audet’s collection comes from specialty shops, garage sales, and even donations from people who have heard about his love of Christmas. Friends joke that his house smells like Santa.

Cute, traditional Santas cozy up with some surprising Kris Kringle characters, like Santa on a motorcycle or even Santa with the hogs in a barnyard setting.

There are so many of them that Audet had to reinforce the shelves he built just to hold the weight.

Between the rows of Santas are framed photos of Audet’s volunteer work, which includes playing Santa at the Multiethnic Community Centre of Montreal North on Dec. 20.

“There will be 200 children, and I will be playing Santa Claus. I’ve been playing Santa there for seven years,” he said.

Living up to his festive name, Audet says the collection brings him joy — joy he loves to share with others during the holidays.

“Merry Christmas to everyone,” he added.