The Ghost of Christmas Past

In writing the Friday Five answers and dealing with this cold, I got to thinking about a Christmas a number of years ago when I came down with a really nasty cold on Christmas Eve. I had to skip going to the cousin's for dinner on Christmas Eve. It was after I had taken over Christmas Day cooking duties, so it was looking doubtful if we would even have anyone over.

I was running a high fever and sleeping/waking/reading for a bit/sleeping/getting up for more orange juice/sleeping, and was not in the mood to change records, and feeling that a lack of any music was just too gloomy, so I had the radio on to the classical station. Naturally no programmer wants to be putting together really exciting shows on the one day when almost no one is listening, so it was a steady loop of Christmas favorites: Mormon Tabernacle Choir doing the classics, some Mozart, Nutcracker, and Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride," complete with whips and bells.

I don't know the exact frequency of that stupid sleigh ride song, but it seemed to be on incessantly. With my high fever I half dreamed, half hallucinated this stupid song into a music video featuring Benny Hill. To this day I cannot hear that song without picturing Benny Hill in a Santa Hat. I can't say that this image makes the song any worse, although I do tend to giggle when I think of it.

It turned out that the day of rest worked out and I was able to get up at 6am to start making the bread. By the end of the evening, all was well and the cold was gone.