ALFRESCO FESTIVE: Kris Kringle and reindeer? Of course. Kris Kringle and his little woodland animal friends? Chipmunks, muskrats, et cetera? Yep. We've seen it in a dozen cartoons. But Santa is less often paired with a giraffe, a real giraffe, that is, not an animated one. But he will be on Sunday, Dec. 11, when Safari West in Santa Rosa presents a Santa Safari. Lunch will be served -- adults pay $15 -- and there's a chance of a photo with Dozer the giraffe. But giraffes are on their own schedule, of course, and any visitors would be wise to heed this message from the animal park: "Please understand, Dozer is a true ham, but we cannot guarantee that Dozer will be in the picture...it's truly up to his spirits at the time!" Well put. If Dozer should make a cameo in your photograph, we think you've got your next holiday card. Done and done.
OTHER TO-KNOWS: Reservations are necessary, and Safari West requests that you show with a donation of "an unwrapped toy or a bag of dry goods for the Sonoma County Food Bank."
Here's a peek back at Dozer as a young, strapping man.
