MERRY MERCHANDIZING

On Christmas Eve, I did the last-dash shopping/errand thing uptown in Yorkville. It wasn’t as crazy busy as expected but it was uncharacteristically warm which accounted for isolated sightings of shorts wearers amid the Santa hats, making for a strange juxtaposition. The shorts were universally worn by men, not unusual because winter is black tights time. I mean really, who has time to shave legs during the holiday season and besides, furry legs constitute another layer of warmth.

Marcus O’Hara has been playing Santa at Roots' flagship Bloor location for years. Event planner “Party” Barbara Hershenhorn, who hopped on his lap for a photo op, jokes that she’s auditioning for the role of elf. Note how the pooch perfectly blends into Santa’s beard.

Shoes.com opened a bricks-and-mortar store on Queen West this month. I checked it out and thought it was meh. Nothing jumped out and begged to follow me home. But I give them credit for amping up the advertising by having a chip wagon offering coffee in front of the shop. Too bad I don’t drink coffee.

The streetcar was taking its own sweet time to come so I nipped into the Kind Exchange thrift shop at Queen and Soho, lured in because of the “50 per cent off sign” in the window. It is a big store, but I concentrated at the front and took a handful of items into the dressing room. I bagged a cool Anne Klein burgundy jacket with fur collar which set me back a measly $12. It wasn’t as cheap as the $1 brand-new Chinoiserie jacket I scored at Missions for Bibles in Owen Sound but what is?  

The H&M ad at the bus shelter in front of Kind Exchange has been bastardized by a flyer pasted over the model’s head. It actually works better that way.

Two yupscale bikers were parked on Bellair St. in front of Rolo, arguably the best funky card and outrageous gift shop in town.

This happening doorman in front of Holt Renfrew rocks a definite Lenny Kravitz vibe. Note the schleppy shopper in shorts beside him.

 The flower shops at Ave. and Dav were doing a blooming business on Christmas Eve. Cut flowers at our house are a crap shoot. Our kitten Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., aka “The Cat That Ruined Christmas,” insists on flower de-arranging.

Amid the sea of black in the subway, this commuter stands out in her Christmassy red and green coat. You go girl.

This little cutie was dolled up in her shimmery holiday finery at Starbucks on Christmas afternoon. Her red earrings were made of flashing lights. How is she going to top herself when she hits adolescence?

Our cat Richard Parker, stoned on catnip on Christmas morning from the green bag in the background. Parker was all over the nip when I brought it home in my gym bag. He’d sniffed it out among my sweaty gym gear.