Santa Spotting

I get a thrill out of seeing Santa in unexpected places. I can't explain this. When it happens, part of me wants to run over and tell Santa everything that I want, while part of me wants to laugh, and part of me logically asks, "Why is Santa buying beer?" But, of course, it is for the reindeer.

So when I saw Braveheart Santa wearing a Packers hat at Panera, I had conflicting emotions. First off, I learned that Santa likes bagels. Noted. Also, Santa must be a Packers fan. But, why did Santa have his face painted like a Scottish warrior defending his land against the English? The question plagued me. Surely, Santa is nonviolent. And why the odd combination? Face paint, football gear, bagels, and Santa?

My husband, may he be blessed among men, heard all my questions and said, "I will just go ask him." That is why I love that man. He does things like talk to random people to find out things I want to know. After a lengthy conversation in which my husband joined Santa for tea and they exchanged life stories, Mike came back to me and explained, "He is dressed like that because there was a race this morning." Like that explained everything. A race. Of course. Doesn't everybody want to dress up like Braveheart Football Santa when there is a race on? Maybe because of the contortions my face went through, my husband sensed my disappointment so he quickly showed me something that made me want to dance. He got a picture for me! I love that man.