Brian pulled at his scratchy white beard and tried to get the circulation in his right foot going again. The boot was too tight. The left boot too loose. A Store Santa’s lot was not always a comfortable one.
That said, Brian enjoyed the tradition. A kindly man, invariably full of good cheer and bonhomie, the donning of the red suit was an occasion he looked forward to; he somehow felt a different man, more confident behind the beard and false tummy. It had become a family tradition. Juliet, his daughter, was the principal elf, and it gave his wife June time and space to indulge in her seasonal pastime of hiding the sausage.
Admittedly, June tended to indulge herself all year round, but the holiday season brought out the best in her, the adage spreading goodwill to all men was something she took to heart. Indeed, she had disappeared with a young father from the line-up some fifteen minutes previously, leaving his charge behind in Santa’s playpen.
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