Thursday, December 22, 2005

International Santa, Austin edition

This year as I was setting up my International Santa display, I started wondering what the Austin version would look like. After all, the Australian Santa is wearing swim trunks as it is summer down under, and the Irish Santa wears green instead of red. What would an Austin Santa look like? This is what I came up with:
  • He would be wearing sandals, preferably Birkenstock.
  • Instead of a red wool coat, Austin Santa would wear a red guayabera with white embroidery.
  • Austin Santa's beard would be silver, in the aging hippie style, instead of white, and his hair would be long as well.
  • He'd wear a funky pair of wire-rimmed shades and some sort of bead necklace. He would also be sporting a yellow LiveStrong bracelet.
  • For a hat, he'd wear a straw, raffia western-style hat, one that was Austin-cool, NOT cowboy.
  • He'd have his wireless laptop with him, so he could connect most anywhere in this wireless mecca.
  • In his hand, he'd be carrying either a margarita or a Shiner Bock.
  • He'd have a tattoo on his forearms.
  • Instead of carrying a bag full of toys, Santa Austin would have a guitar strapped across his back. After all, he never knows when he could get into a jam session in the Live Music Capital.
  • Austin Santa would have traded in his reindeer for a more eco-friendly hybrid sleigh.
  • At the various houses, he would expect soy milk (not cow's milk) and cookies from the bakery at Whole Foods.

So where would you find Austin Santa? This time of year he'd be hanging at the Trail of Lights and catching "Santaland Diaries" at the Zach. He'd probably be hanging out on Sixth Street, playing the guitar, hoping to catch a few coins. Maybe he'd even chat it up with Leslie a bit. Most of all, Austin Santa would be doing his part to Keep Austin Weird.

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