Canadian model Paul Mason has been hired as the mall Santa for the Yorkdale shopping center in Toronto. His eyes, two twinkling stars in the night sky, greet visitors young and old alike. His beard is as soft as the first snowfall, his hair pomaded into the gentle wave of whipped cream on hot chocolate; his cheekbones are as sharp as the blades of a nordic sleigh, his physique is svelte, his clothes tailored by Italian elves; his egg-nog, like his wit, is surely dry. (On The Today Show, Al Roker was surprisingly on point when he called Mr. Mason “The Most Interesting Santa in the World.”)
But is Fashion Santa even original? Never one to be out-memed, Portland unveiled its Big Lebowski-like “Hipster Santa” this year, and one might argue that Matthew Barney—former J. Crew model, former Bjork spouse, and former relevant contemporary artist—has been playing the part for years.
