As a part of the band's "uniform," I was wearing a red shirt, red bandana, and a fake white beard, more suited to a desert castaway than to Santa Claus.
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| NTRS playing with NLC in the HHP in HBG |
After our traditional band breakfast and traditional too-long-of-a-wait-before-playing, we marched across the City Island Bridge 3 .
People were cheering, kids were catching candy, vendors selling cheap toys meandered up and down the street -- very typical, as far as parades are concerned. I was surprised, however, to see two little girls glaring at me. One was giving me the thumbs down.
I was appalled. The band, I thought, sounded good 4 . We hadn't taken any of their candy. What could be wrong?
Then, as I marched by them, they shouted, in unison, over the sounds of the trombones next to me, the drums behind me, and the tuba in front of me, "YOU'RE NOT THE REAL SANTA!"5
I almost fell over laughing.
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1 HHP, to this acronym-happy city, also home to HHA, HAA, HYP, and the city's eponymous if not acronymic HBG.
2 NLC
3 CIB
4 See videos here if you're on The Facebook.
5 NTRS
2 comments:
HHP, CIB, and NTRS are completely fictional acronyms.
HHA (Harrisburg Historical Association), HAA (Harrisburg Art Association), HYP (Harrisburg Young Professionals), HBG (shorthand for Harrisburg), and NLC (No Last Call) are all in regular use.
Say that you're the Communist Santa. You just distribute experiences, not gifts.
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