I was in the hardware store the other day, a city store with narrow aisles and lots of different items within small spaces. Searching the aisles for those large paper lawn and leaf bags, I glanced up and saw someone familiar. He was a small, serious man dressed modestly in black pants and a worn, wine-colored henley. His hair was white and wispy, and he had a white beard and a bit of a tummy. There was a special weight to his spirit. When he glanced for less than a second my way, looking me right in the eye, I turned aside. Then…Santa? I looked back up just as he was turning the corner. I walked quickly, hoping to catch another look, but he seemed to have disappeared through the open door into the daylight. Everything had become very bright. I turned around to see the store owner at the counter with a small smile on her face as she went to her work.