Late Holiday Night Open Thread

Mark Leibovich thinks he lives in a tough part of town. From the Washington Post:

The man dressed as Santa Claus and walking along Stevens Road in Southeast Washington saw three babies peering at him from a window, and he did what any Santa would do. Pumped with holiday cheer, he turned, waved and shouted the traditional festive greeting.

“Man, this is awesome,” Xavier Hawkins exclaimed on Christmas Eve morning, as he prepared to hand out presents to 800 needy children. “Oh, yes, Merry . . .”

But before the 50-year-old from Maryland’s Eastern Shore could say “Christmas,” a sharp pain cut through his upper back. The driver for the global moving firm Interstate, and Santa for seven consecutive years, had been hit with at least one blast from a pellet gun.

The wound was minor — a large welt — and Hawkins was quickly treated at a hospital and released. The shooting of Santa was captured by a television cameraman for WJLA (Channel 7), who was reporting a story on the 22nd annual gift event…

[A]nother employee, one dressed as the Grinch, put aside any differences and helped hand out presents. But not before he was grilled by one of the District’s finest. “One of the first things the officer did was question the Grinch,” Morrissette joked. “He told the officer he didn’t have anything to do with this.”

Morrissette, who was at the event, said there is no doubt that he and his workers will be back. And so will Hawkins….