OLDBURY'S very own Santa Claus will be able to see in the New Year in style after an anal Halesowen optician gave him a present of his own after being bugged seeing St Nicholas in the wrong spectacles.
Santa Dave, as he is affectionally known due to having a sleigh and reindeers on his house all year round, was spotted working in Halesowen wearing the wrong glasses by Mark Moran from Spex Maniax, Hagley Road.
Mark said: “Santa Dave looks fantastic in all his gear but after seeing him wearing square glasses I couldn't let it lie, it was like seeing John Lennon in a pair of veri-focals.
“I think his old pair are stuck in a chimney somewhere in Hayley Green and he could not find any old style glasses in High Street opticians he was making do with normal glasses.
“But as I am involved in Mayhem Theatre Group I stock the classic old fashioned round glasses in my shop so I had to give him a pair or I wouldn't have slept at night.”
Dave Upson, aged 69, said: “I am over the moon, everyone knows me as Santa Dave and last year I made myself ill doing 70 Santa appearances in the run upto Christmas.
“I am Santa all year round, if I am doing my shopping in July and a child asks for a photo I am only happy too, I have been Santa for 15 years now and can't see myself stopping soon, I've just had to cut down my workload for my health.”
He added: “I have my own outfit which was tailor made in Quinton and my sleigh and reindeer are lit up outside my Bleakhouse Road house all year round but I admit I had not replaced my traditional glasses which really bothered Mark.
“So I am very thankful to him for giving me my new gold spectacles and now I am looking forward to seeing in the New Year in style.”
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