"Damn," he says, straight-faced. "If I'd known, I would've chipped in a few extra Brass."

He cracks a smile, finally, as he picks up his wine -- and kicks a little bit of his enormous pile of winter layers aside so Hawkeye has a clear path to his seat.

"I guess I've heard weirder myths. But that's a sweet thing to do for the kids. Especially the ones who don't have any parents to help out with the actual gifts."