My 4 year old daughter's school had a mini-winter carnival yesterday. It was not really a big carnival with all the glittering extravaganza that comes with it. It was more family focused with a children's musical , a craft making activity, ice skating on the school rink and a sleigh ride.
The sleigh ride was what we were after. For a Pinoy recently transplanted in the middle of winter wonderland this was an experience worth taking. Perhaps it was the redundant memory of singing "dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh" in a the middle of a tropical and humid country full of carabaos(water buffalo) and carrosas that amplified the excitement to take that ride. Yesterday evening, with bells jingling on the two white sleigh horses pulling a big open sleigh, the colonially implanted winter fantasy became flesh.
The ride wasn't dashing at all. Understandably with kids and toddlers in tow the speed limit was a slow leisurely drag not in an open field but around the public park full of pine trees. We wanted to laugh all the way but stopped short when each chuckle is punctuated by an unhealthy waft from the horses organic fertilizer factory. One wonders why this was not in the Jingle Bells Song ?
Comments