Santa Claus may not be coming to town, especially if you live in Norman.
Over the weekend, some goofball grinch hit Norman's premier Santa Claus impersonator – Donn Mason – with their car while he crossed the street on the OU Campus, breaking his leg and pelvis like a poor kid's Christmas spirit.
Fortunately, no elves or reindeer were injured in the accident.
Here are the details via an OU Daily article by Anna Bauman:
Santa knows exactly who is at the top of the naughty list this year — the person who hit him with their car.
Donn Mason, a popular Santa Claus figure in the Norman and Oklahoma City areas, was on his way to see OU’s production of “A Christmas Carol” with his wife on Friday night. It was dark and rainy, but the lights on the crosswalk were flashing when he stepped into the street.
That didn’t stop the car driving down Elm Avenue that struck Mason as he was crossing.
“I cleared the southbound lane, stepped into the northbound lane — and this goofball hit me at 20, 25 miles per hour,” Mason said from a Norman Regional Hospital bed Saturday morning where he lay with a broken left pelvis and broken right leg.
Okay, I added that final line. I had to liven it up.
That's awful!!! But in in all fairness to the driver, they were probably a bit distracted by the site of a real-life Santa Claus crossing the street.
"What'd ya-know? It's 'ol Saint Nick! Wait... Look out!
Thud.
Here's more:
With less than a month until Christmas, the accident has put Mason’s decades-long Santa Claus career temporarily on hold and left the city scrambling to find a replacement for the jolly, white-bearded Santa look-alike.
“I can’t do Santa Claus for this whole month,” Mason said. “Which is a whole year that’s been knocked out.”
Mason, who makes a considerable amount of his income during Christmas, has already called to cancel 18 events that were scheduled months in advance. He would have appeared as Santa at Norman’s annual Christmas parade, STASH’s 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk and a variety of private venues.
Mason has been a fixture as Santa Claus in Norman’s Christmas parade, missing it only once in the past 30 years due to a health issue.
That sucks. Considering most Santa Claus impersonators don't have AFLAC, I considered starting a Go Fund Me, but it looks like one of his elves beat me to the punch. You can donate here, and if you do, please leave more than a lump of coal.
In the meantime, if you live in the Norman area and are looking for a pleasantly plump guy with a trimmed white beard and rosy cheeks to replace Donn for your Christmas event, send us an email. I know a guy who may be able to fill in.
