You Better Watch Out

It's that time of year again. Santa spotting with Isaac. He can spot a man a mile away that has any one characteristic of good ole St. Nick, and he's yelling (which is Isaac's normal speaking voice), "There's Santa Claus!

Man with white hair? There's Santa Claus!
Man with big belly? There's Santa Claus!
Man with beard? There's Santa Claus!
Man wearing red? There's Santa Claus!

Unfortunately, it's not generally considered flattering to be compared to Santa, so the men are usually glaring at us or hiding in embarrassment.

Our worst "Santa Spotting" moment happened last year in the produce section of the grocery store. We encountered an Orthodox Jewish man who, unfortunately for all involved, had several of the above characteristics - white hair (with ringlets by his face), big belly, plus he had a beard. All but the red suit and reindeer.

When Isaac started yelling, "There's Santa!", I couldn't get away fast enough. The man was not amused, and, to make matters worse, Isaac started screaming and crying and causing a huge scene. He was convinced more than ever that he had found Santa, right there by the apples and bananas in Shop Rite, and I was denying him the chance of a lifetime. This is even more ironic, considering when we saw the actual Santa at Macy's in New York City, Isaac couldn't get away fast enough. Go figure.