There IS a Santa Claus!

I coveted a pair of red boots this fall but 'couldn't justify buying them as I had a perfectly good pair of boots along the same vein that didn't need replacing.

While wearing those very boots at the beginning of my errands on Friday I felt something odd when I took a step. It was like I had paper or something caught under my heel. When I checked to see what the problem was I was shocked to find, not paper but a full through and through stress fracture half way up the heel. (I wear heels all the time - 'have for years - I've never broken a heel like this before.) What was I going to do? Getting the thing fixed (if getting it fixed was even a possibility)would have taken half an hour or more that I didn't have to dedicate to emergency shoe repair. Better yet, why not replace them?

A 10 minute limping walk had me at the store where I'd fallen in love with the red boots but there were only black ones left. ;( With little choice and feeling the need to push on with my bona fide Christmas errands I explained my predicament to the sales girl, including my love for the red version. She went into the back to see if they had the black in my size. She returned almost immediately with a big grin and a box that when opened revealed the red beauties in my size 7.5 :o! She said that as she walked into the storeroom she had to pass a delivery guy who had just arrived and was laden with a stack of boxes, the topmost of which held the red boots. And they were half price!

Now who else but the Big Guy in Red could have made broken heel/proximity to store/just in time arrival of me with shoes to said store/50% off sale all happen within the same 15 minutes?

I believe he just wanted me to have them - even if it was a little early. He knew I'd love them and they'd be a great addition to our family Christmas because guess what I'll be wearing to cook Christmas Dinner! (I know they don't look like they lend themselves to cooking or the kitchen but I seriously wear heels all the time so they won't bother me a bit. Besides with my brother's ill health Christmas Dinner is going to be well served with the addition of a fun distraction or two and me tottering around in ridiculous footwear will give everybody something to laugh about!

P.S. To answer Lorraine's question from the comments - depending on my brother and his family I could have as many as 15 or as few as 9 at dinner. I'm even prepared to serve in shifts. We're having Prime Rib rather than Turkey because it will hold better and won't dry out if dinner time moves a bit one way or the other on the clock depending on when my brother et.al. might arrive or depart.