A homeless man wandered in one day, and this Arizona town adopted him
KINGMAN, Ariz. - In an era where the legions of homeless are at best tolerated, residents in Kingman, Ariz., have embraced an eccentric man they call "Santa James" like a long-lost friend.
For years, the white-bearded man in the red Santa Claus outfit has been a familiar sight around this isolated high-desert town, his habits so routine people take notice when he's not there.
In triple-digit August heat and on frosty January mornings, he pushes an overloaded cart along congested Stockton Hill Road, his companion toy rabbit riding shotgun, trundling unsteadily between his haunts at supermarkets, fast-food joints and coffeehouses.
Who is this character, this man in scarlet, people once asked. Is he homeless? Does he have substance or emotional issues? He seemed harmless, because not once did anyone see him stick out his hand to beg, bother or steal.
Eventually, some stopped to introduce themselves. James Zyla, as he calls himself, greeted them in a charming British accent uncommon to rural Arizona. His last name, he said, rhymed with sarsaparilla, a lovely word he'd once used in a poem and decided to imitate. For starters, he'd say, he didn't like the terms "homeless" or "living on the streets," and much preferred "on
