I didn't say anything at all about a beard! I referred to the scruffy, unkempt, 5 o'clock shadow ( or worse ) look, now so popular with some males. A well kept, nicely trimmed beard is something else completely!
Work clothing is a distinct, quite different thing entirely! Someone doing your the job you once had, in a 3 piece suit, dress shirt, and tie, is just as wrong ( not to mention patently ridiculous and out of placed !), as someone showing up to a square dance in white tie and tails. :-)
LOL...re your Santa stories! They're lovely and you sound like a kind, happy with yourself, courteous, "old school" man.
I was out walking a public trail running along a river. This was my second trip of the day and I was just trying to put in some extra effort into exercising and increasing my distance walked by a couple of miles more.
As I was crossing a narrow foot traffic bridge at the end of it I saw a woman with a camera which I had been seeing there throughout the day. She had been taking pictures of young couples dressed up formerly and using the area as a back drop for the pictures.
Still unaware of what was really happening I crossed the bridge to access the trail and my oldest daughter was standing at the end of it. We talked a second then I looked and my granddaughter. She was with her date for the Prom & were standing there dressed formerly and finally it clicked in my brain what was happening.
I said I'll get on out of the way and was fixing to start my walk when my daughter and granddaughter said wait a minute we want your picture taken with her {meaning my granddaughter}. So there was this beautiful young woman and I say that proudly as her grandfather standing beside an old man wearing coveralls, boots, with a camo cane and a head wrap so I didn't get my scalp sunburned.
Yeah it seemed awkward to me at first but I stood for the picture. I noticed my daughter was in her going walking clothes so I was a bit more at ease then. LOL