this one's for you, jogging santa, for kickstarting the season

^^at the town Christmas Tree Lighting. There were rumors that Santa would be there but for two years in a row we've missed crossing paths with that jolly old elf, so I guess we'll have to track Santa down in his natural habitat instead (the mall)^^

...and thus begins the tale of the year I almost had a serious lack of Christmas cheer.

Christmas spirit should be one of those "naturally occurring in nature" kinds of things... after Thanksgiving Christmas starts seeping into the stores and down the streets (some places can't even contain their cheer that long and it starts showing its face as early as Halloween). Spindly Santas start appearing on street corners and eggnog starts appearing next to the milk at the grocery store; making you ask yourself, "what is even there when there isn't eggnog? Half and half?" I can never remember, and after Christmas I always forget to look until the eggnog appears again, right where it belongs.

Well this year winter weather hit fast and hard. And winters are hard for me, guys. I have a hard time breathing in the winter. I get so cold that I cant warm up and I spend a good deal of my evenings in the bathtub trying to defrost my cold limbs. I get goosebumps on my face...on my face! a person isn't supposed to be having goosebumps on their face, it's just weird. 

So between the inability to stay warm and the nasty ear infection Sage had over Thanksgiving, we were feeling a little bit (a lot) tired around here. And after Thanksgiving the Christmas cheer just didn't naturally occur as it should. 

Heavens to Betsy this is a problem. A big problem.

Until yesterday morning. I was walking (well leaping.. on tiptoes.. to avoid any more foot contact with the snow than absolutely necessary) to my car just as the sun was coming up and I saw the most wonderful thing a person could see in these circumstances. 

It was a man. In a red sweatshirt. An old man with the most glorious of white hair, and an even more glorious white beard. Jogging down our street, his cheeks red from the cold. I leaned down to Sage and quietly pointed at the man jogging past us and whispered, 

"it's SANTA, bird!"

And just like that Christmas cheer knocked me clean over the head like a ton of bricks. Bricks made of marshmallows and tasting of peppermint. 

Thank you jogging Santa, for snapping the Grinch out of me. I'm pretty sure my heart grew three sizes that morning. Now I have a neverending craving for hot cocoa and sugar cookies. 

May you all be blessed with a jogging Santa on your street.