Regardless, the time has come.
The hat.
The red one. With the white pompom.
Originally bought off Ébayé from someone who claimed that it was "Authentic" and "100% Genuine", it has been in his drawer all this time, carefully tucked away…
This memento is his sole, (imagined) link to his (alleged) extremely great grandfather, literally… capping off his cosplaying-as-Santa career, a throwback that reminds him of the 'glory days'…
In the meantime… The beak-like blades of the soon-to-be-snipping scissors are now inches, centimeters away from contact, like a famished bird, swooping in, eager to pluck the fruits from Nicklaus' bush…
-y beard on his chin…
*insert flashbacks and profound thoughts and connections here leading Nicklaus to realise that he refuses to be commodified and reduced to a Santa beard plant to be harvested every 18 months any longer, and that for some reason (it is thanks of course to Doris' voodoo), he now realizes that his true calling is to relive the glory days once again, and to reclaim his self-identity as the greatest Santa there ever was, that Author can't be bothered to write cos it's probably not that important and to save esteemed readers' precious time* 🫢✨⏩
Thank goodness…! Nursing home lady's hand was starting to cramp from moving the scissors so slowly and holding and hovering the scissors in place. Any longer and she was afraid her hand would slip and she would actually cut Nicklaus' friggin' beard for real.
"…You done?"
Thanks to the Premium Powerstones he has received from the wonderful Audience 🤭💖✨(Thank you for your contribution as always! Sending some positive energy right back at you 💖✨🤭🌻), Author now has the increasing luxury of crafting and staging events in an increasingly more exception (-ly shameless) manner to maximise reader enjoyment… but even so, he still needs to make sure they actually got the shot.
"Did you get the close-up bro?"
"Yeah. Got the glint off the scissors as well as even the beard... texture. It's good stuff." Camera Guy gives him the thumbs up.
Author checks the footage, and then chucks Camera Guy some powerstones, since he knows quality when he sees it…!
"Nice bro." He says, thinking to himself that that *was* quite smooth in how he had just indirectly casually complimented… himself.
"All right, continue."
"…"
*We cut back now to Nicklaus who has finally finished all the flashbacks and reliving of his memories, which honestly takes a while cos' he's (not as young as he used to be) pretty *old* you know, but he gets it done eventually.*
With a harumph-ing heave, a brazen bellow, the usual beloved ejaculatory cry, returns, and Nicklaus rises up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
___