Sunday, December 13, 2009

Jingle Bells and snow


This time of year I always keep car and home radios tuned to WTFM 98.5 because they play continuous Christmas music, many long series of songs without interruption. Evidently this is economically profitable since they do not seem to lack for sponsors. A perennial favorite seems to be Jingle Bells, as it has been since I was a child. Whenever I hear it I'm reminded of one of the two room schools I attended. The school went to 7th grade and I must have been in 4th or 5th which was included in the older student room. When school resumed in January after Christmas break one year, the student body assembled in the primary grade room and the teachers asked us what song we wanted to sing. Many kids called out Jingle Bells. "But it's after Christmas," teacher said. "We don't care, Jingle Bells," we insisted. And so we did, 30-35 rural Georgia children belting out the lyrics describing a sleigh ride over snow covered fields. Snow was a sight half or more of the group had never seen and as of that time, I was in that number. Nowadays it seems as though every winter my sister-in-law is posting a picture like the one above of snow at their house in midwestern Georgia. Hmmmm, does global warming cause snow in Georgia?