Imagine not being home for the holidays five years in a row and then surprising your family at a movie theatre.
That’s exactly what Nicole Deguise did.
The 34-year-old Burnaby resident, who moved to the West Coast with her husband a decade ago, had only made the cross-country trip to Ontario once or twice. Flying around Christmas was always too expensive, she told the NOW.
But earlier this year, Deguise’s sister Lori entered a contest with Cineplex. The company was looking for a bilingual family that had lots of home videos.
To Deguise’s surprise, her family won. She was to fly to Toronto on Dec. 2 for a reunion of epic proportions.
“I didn’t believe it at first. You see all these wonderful stories happen to other families and you never think it’ll happen to yours, and it did and I was excited and nervous at the same time,” she said.
When they arrived at the theatre, the Rocheforts were under the impression they had won a special movie screening. But when the lights dimmed, Cineplex staff began rolling a nearly 2-minute “trailer” of the family’s home videos. Seconds later, Deguise appeared.
“I was in tears,” she said of the big reveal.
Deguise was greeted by her parents, four siblings and even her 18-month-old nephew she had never met.
Her mom’s reaction, however, “was the best.” Her jaw dropped and she immediately began to cry, Deguise said.
“I expected nothing less from my mom. We chat all the time, every week on the phone, but it’s hard for her for me not to be home. The fact I was able to surprise her. ... It was just incredible,” she said. “Thank you (Cineplex). This has been the most incredible Christmas gift that anyone could have given us. It was the most amazing, unique experience I’ve ever gone through and my family’s ever gone through.”
According to Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex, movies have the power to bring people together.
“Which makes them all the more powerful at this time of year when our calendars are especially full. We were so pleased to unite the Rochefort family so that they could celebrate the holidays and make more memories together,” he said in a press release.
