Ride Sally Ride

For everyone, this is a busy season and because it is so hectic, I've decided to downsize the decorating of my bike for the Jingle Ride tomorrow night.  Not that it took much time last year to wrap white paper around the frame and a thin strip of ribbon to make the bike into diamond - framed candy cane.

I say thank God there are Dollar Stores everywhere and when I popped into my local one, it took being side-swiped by a rabid shopper for me to find the Christmas section.  She had a cart full of tinsel, bells, plastic baubles and assorted green and red decorations.  Being Canadian, we both said "Sorry!" and then she directed me to the numerous isles of Xmas tat that only a Dollar Store can provide.

Being Canada the word ornament has to be spelled in French

Wanting my decorating to be rather understated, I chose two thin felt stockings that could be personalized.  The idea being that I could hang them from each handlebar and label one "JINGLE" and the other "RIDE".  When the impracticality of that idea dawned on me, I chucked the stockings onto a shelf of leaking cans of cat food and reached instead for a bag of plastic snowflakes that I could pin to my handlebar mitts.

Rum storage containers

Since I'll have two panniers (mostly filled with rum - laced hot chocolate), I figured that a simple ornament on each saddlebag would suffice.  The ones I chose have dangly bells and when combined with the bearbells on my pedals, should make enough racket that they will clear my way when I slide into whichever holiday display my friends happen to be admiring.  After all, I will be taking up the rear so I can secretly sneak the odd swill of that fortified hot chocolate!