Santa brought some much needed pre-Christmas joy to Glasgow city centre yesterday.
He gave Rudolph a break when he climbed aboard the Duke of Wellington's trusty steed in a festive stunt that had shoppers howling with laughter, the Daily Record reports.
Despite it being the busiest time of the year for the big man, he was only too happy to pose for pictures before getting on his merry way back to the North Pole.
The surprise Saturday evening visit went down a treat with everyone lucky enough to catch sight of it.
Mandy McGloan, who filmed Santa's antics, told The Record: "We were just heading to the square and came across this Santa and a few folk dressed up as elves dancing and singing and basically spreading a bit of Christmas cheer.
"Then out of nowhere came a ladder and off he went up the horse!
"He stayed up for a few minutes waving at the people watching and kids.
"It was so random but gave us a good laugh and made my 10-year-old niece happy."
Mandy said she explained Santa's shock appearance to the kids by telling them "he was just spreading a bit of Christmas cheer now we are in tier 3."
The crazy scenes came as a Christmas card designed by one of Glasgow's acclaimed artists is set to raise thousands for teenagers living in poverty in the city.
Adrian McMurchie has produced a dot to dot illustration of the Duke of Wellington statue - with its familiar traffic cone topping replaced by a Santa hat.
The illustration features on cards produced by The Big Glasgow Christmas Appeal - a fundraising drive led by leading digital marketing company Pursuit, based in Finnieston, and renowned charity Glasgow the Caring City.
