It was near dusk when I spied the elf clambering down my drainspout, looking tired and a little hot (“It’s like the tropics around here!” he exclaimed). Naturally, I invited him in for a cold glass of nog.
“So, what are you doing in Wolfville?” I asked.
“Roof checks,” he replied, waving a can of fluorescent spray paint. “We don’t just wing it on the night, you know. Lots of work. Still, it’ll soon be over, and then we can kick back. Blitzen and I are going out dancing New Year’s. TripALady’s playing the Old O Barn here …”
“Really? You know about them?”
“Come on. Santa? Naughty? Nice? We know everything.”
“Oh.” I paused, momentarily disturbed. “Yeah. Right.”
“ It should be a good time. I love those twin fiddles. There you are, bopping along to Human League – we all dig that stuff, everyone in the shop had Walkman’s, back in the day – and then … Whoosh! The reels kick in. Or they hit some harmonies.” His already-bright eyes glittered. “It’s a blast.”
“That does sound like fun,” said I.
“And it’s good for the soul to dance on New Year’s. The hustling’s all done ” – he rattled the spray can – “and dancing makes you joyful to be alive! You go out with people you love, and celebrate future and past. It’s an act of hope.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Besides,” he added with a sudden leer, “I heard Lee Aaron was at their Hallowe’en Dance. Well, anyway, happy New Year to ye.”
“Merry Yule to you!”
And to you all.
TripALady plays the Old Orchard Inn Heritage Barn in Greenwich on Saturday, December 31. Doors open at 9 pm, with music carrying on past midnight. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door, available from Box of Delights in Wolfville or from Aspinall Pottery at the Wolfville Farmers’ Market. 697-2271 for more info. This is a licensed event!