New lights, who dis? Really, though. The original costume was on sale for maybe $15 when I got it 3 years ago, but I’ve put at least 3-4x that into improvements since then. That includes the gift bag/box shoes. The paper bag disintegrated in the wet, but I rescued the foam core to use again. On the left foot, the foam took on many ounces of water, especially at a certain puddle by the college. Stride couldn’t have been great with that much imbalance. But goldurnit there were people to make happy, so I slogged on. Kudos to the many creative Santas and others, including Cookies and Milk (couple costume), the entire family Buddy the Elves (see last year’s Santa Dash post), and several gingerbread folks. A special shout out to the DIY gingerbread house! I tried for some additional mileage after, sans gift shoes or tree skirt, but it was much more difficult. West of the Country Club Plaza might as well be San Francisco.
I honestly don’t even remember where I got the original tree at this point – lights from an Amazon seller – inside the boxes to conform to my feet is outdoor furniture foam from JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores
Playlist (Spotify)
Playlist (Apple Music)
