SANTA- IN-CHIEF
A homegrown holiday bauble is on its way to the Obama family. It's a black Santa, holding a miniature White House, that local ornament designer David Strand (www.davidstranddesigns.com) introduced this year. "Whole World in His Hands" was inspired by the nation's first black president, but "he looks more like Denzel Washington," Strand said.
Strand, a Twin Cities native who worked as a lawyer and a rep for Christopher Radko before launching his own ornament line, recently moved back to the Twin Cities from New York City. "I wanted to come home to a homier place," he said.
You can find the ornament at the General Store in Minnetonka and downtown Minneapolis, Bachman's on Lyndale and at Vizi Spa & Salon, Minneapolis. "Whole World in His Hands" retails for $57, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the United Negro College Fund.
KIM PALMER