Winton -
It's all in the "growth period." LOL. That's why I start letting my grow out in August. Rest of the year I keep it trimmed a little shorter than yours.
I have 8 grandchildren at the moment. One of the grand daughters is in pre-school and the school was decorated last year. The teacher showed them all a picture of Santa and asked if they knew who it was. Quinn said, "that's not Santa. That's Pappy!"