Tuesday, January 12, 2021

An Elf Spinning Out of Control

 It is a couple of weeks after Christmas, yet here I am watching another Christmas movie. Fred Clause. I've never seen it before. It came out in 2007. It stars Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. It's a cute movie with a message of course.

When Fred Clause first arrives at the North Pole and Santa's village, you see the beautiful little town all lit up, snow, Christmas trees and oodles of elves dressed in green suits and pointy shoes. Man, does that bring back some memories!

When I was in the 4th or 5th grade at B.B. Harris Elementary School in Duluth, Georgia, we the students were to put on a Christmas play. We practiced our lines (those that had lines) and we practiced our songs, (O'Christmas Tree comes to mind) and we practiced our "dance". The dance consisted of us elves twirling and running around the perimeter of the whole "set" area.

Several weeks before the play, teacher asked for all the elves to bring in a plain white pillow case and white tights, which she died a Christmas shade of green. We added belts and hats (probably made from felt) and there we were, cute little elves!

The night of the play, I was dropped off in front of the school. No, my parents didn't go park the car. They went back home or someplace. My mother never attended anything like this. Looking back, I am quite amazed I was allowed to be a part of plays, choirs, etc. But I was allowed, I just never had a parent - or anyone - to watch me. Or watch over me. I think now how that probably wouldn't even be an option...dropping a 9 or 10 year old child off in front of the school to find herself into the building and to the right place inside the building. But hey, it was 1970. Times were different.

But anyways! The show must go on! And it did. Our play went along as planned and we were cute. We sang and we danced. Well, as luck (or fate) would have it, THIS elf was running and twirling and at one point this twirling elf must have hit the glossy wooden floor just right, because I spun out! Yep! Just like a car on an icy highway! I hit the floor and slid and twirled and finally came to a rest just outside the path of all the other elves who came after me. If I had been on ice, it would have melted from the heat coming off my red cheeks. I was so embarrassed. A parent (not mine, of course) asked me if I were ok. I said yes and got up and joined the overly joyous elf parade again, but with much less enthusiasm and much trepidation.

My children have been in quite a few plays, choirs, sports, and other activities over the years. And I am grateful to say a parent (mostly me) has attended at least 98% of them. 

 

No photo description available. My own drawing.



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