Just hear those sleigh bells ringing…

I have a great love of the absurd. Always have, even as a child. In fact, one time my appreciation for absurd humor got me in pretty big trouble…

Back when I was in fifth grade (in a public school), the world was a whole lot looser. Sometimes that was a good thing, but not always. For example, on the last day of school before Christmas vacation, our teacher gathered the whole class into the reading corner for a Christmas carol sing, which heavily featured religious hymns. That would be a no-no nowadays, and bottom line, I think that’s a good thing.

We all loved it though, and eagerly peered at the ditto-paper copies (remember that purple ink?) of Christmas song words as we sang our hearts out.

And that’s where the trouble came in. When we got to the chorus of “Sleigh Ride,” there was a typo, along with an odd spelling: Giddy-yap, instead of Giddy-up. Only here’s how it was typed:

Giddy-yap, giddy-yap, giddy-pay let’s go…

I found that to be the funniest thing I had ever seen. And I insisted on singing it, loudly, as it was typed. My obnoxious singing got me a glare from the teacher.

So I stopped. But then it occurred to me how funny it would be to get to one particular line, and just keep on singing it. With last-day-of-school abandon, I belted the song out with my new twist:

(Try singing it to yourself this way. It’s high comedy.)

Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy (pause) cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy (pause) cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we!

I was summarily dismissed to the hallway for the rest of the carol sing.

But it’s not a sad Christmas memory. I cracked myself up. And I still sing the song that way today – with my family backing me up in every absurd line.