The jolly old elf sat in a red chair trimmed in gold. He was bigger than life, wearing a crimson stocking cap, coat and pants, all cuffed with white fur. He sported a white beard and a wide black belt fastened with a gold clasp that shined like the square buckles atop his black boots.
Mrs. Claus, resplendent in a hooded shawl and velvet dress, stood by his side as they greeted backpack-carrying adults, energetic youngsters and couples cradling infants in their arms through San Antonio International Airport.
Comments from passersby were mostly upbeat. A woman from New York said seeing him wasn’t what she expected to see in San Antonio. “That’s what I’m talking about,” another woman said. A man saw that the jovial St. Nick was African American and muttered “woke Santa” as he walked past…