Santa brings holiday cheer to Taylor House

This week Santa visited Taylor House Assisted Living in Albemarle, spreading holiday cheer. It’s a holiday tradition with roots going back decades.

Rickey McKie has been coming to Taylor House as Santa for years, but he only volunteered to start coming because of his long-standing connection. His mother was the hairstylist at Taylor House for 20 years.

“I remember running around here when I was 4, 5, 6 years old,” Rickey said.

His mom worked once a week at Taylor House, and he would tell the residents when it was time for their hair appointments.

Now that he’s retired, Rickey and his wife Sherry visit various locations as Santa and his elf. Rickey knew he wanted to offer his services to the Taylor House community and so called up the team.

“We just want to put a little joy in their lives,” he said, adding that they get more out of the experience than the residents. Sherry said she loves hearing what the residents wish for for Christmas and giving them a candy cane. Sometimes they wish for funny things like $1 million or a new man, she said.

“It’s great,” Rickey said. “We love doing this. I like to see them smile. I like to see the residents happy.”

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