Adolphe à Nicolas
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Adolphe Comeau
His name has become synonymous with Santa Claus in the Acadian region of Clare. This well-respected and loved gentleman, Adolphe (à Nicolas) Comeau, was born in 1891 in Church Point Station.
He had never been successful in school but he was a very ethical and forthright person no matter the occasion and for that people respected and trusted him. Adolphe was known in Clare for his generosity, and sincerity. This is a part of his story.
We will skip ahead to when Adolphe is in his mid-forties which is when his legend truly begins.
In the fall, Adolphe would hand pick willow branches and shape each of them until they became hoops. The local children would then help him gather evergreens and Adolphe would attach them to the hoop frames forming wreaths. He sold the wreaths at Christmas time, but every year the demand grew and he was having trouble keeping up with the orders.
Since Adolphe did not want to disappoint his customers he enlisted the help of a local family. Every year certain priests decorated their churches with Adolphe à Nicolas' wreaths and Adolphe could be seen smiling proudly.
Soon Adolphe began experimenting with the fabrication of toys such as little wooden men that dance on pieces of wood plank, wooden lawn ornaments, dolls etc. He would load all of his items into a large wagon and push this extremely heavy cart through the villages of Clare.
Excitement would flow through the houses on the street in a sort of ripple effect when Adolphe and his wagon came into view. The bells that he collected and attached to the wagon rang through the air and children from every house came running outside, "It's Santa Claus! It's Santa Claus!" they would shout and would gather around their beloved "Sandi Claus" Acadian term for Santa Claus.
Adolphe would answer the children's questions and sell a few wreaths and other items. He would then entertain the crowd with his handmade toys before he was on his way again. Adolphe pushed his cart great distances from Yarmouth to Digby selling wreaths and entertaining people. Everyone loved Adolphe and he became famous for his straightforward personality as well as his crafts.
After approximately 30 years of laughing children, wreaths and toys, Adolphe retired his wagon. He began to show signs of aging and eventually developed Diabetes. He would become sad thinking that he could no longer entertain the children who had once run to his side.
Adolphe's condition became worse and he was moved from a local nursing home to one in Yarmouth in 1976 where he could receive special care. He remained there until his death on January 4th, 1979. Three priests performed the special funeral service that Father Renaud Côté had arranged, and it being the holidays, Adolphe was placed near the crèche.
Adolphe à Nicolas' magic and his works that were deemed priceless in many hearts are still remembered by many that saw him walking through the streets ringing the bells that were fastened to his bright red wagon. A two-week exhibition featuring pictures of Adolphe, his house, his wagon and examples of his crafts was launched February 7th, 1997 at the Galerie Père Léger Comeau at Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point.
The exhibition was a great success. It is through such events and books like "Souvenirs d'Adolphe à Nicolas" by André Gaudet, through songs and plays that depict his life and his influence on the people of Clare, Adolphe à Nicolas or "Sandi Claus" will forever be a part of history. Clare will always remember the kind simple man who just wanted his friends to be happy.
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