A Christmas Pony
I think it’s good to realize that childhood dreams need not be restricted to childhood. Childhood dreams and experiences can be realized at any time in life and passed on to the next child in need of a warm moment to cherish. One of those warm moments for me was when some nice man in a Santa suit came to the elementary school I was attending to give out candy canes. It didn't matter to me that he wasn’t THE Santa Claus. It mattered to me that he was willing to be A Santa Claus! He took the time and spent it with a school full of kids. It made me feel seen and a little bit important. Almost 50 years later, I still remember.
I have had a pony return to my life recently and that particular childhood holiday scene rose up in my heart and mind as my husband, a music teacher, was relaying how wonderful his school, his colleagues, his students, and parents all are. So I decided to create one of my childhood dreams, a Breyer Christmas Horse, and share it with the kids and staff at his school.
I’m sure the pony, Handy, wasn’t quite sure what kind of home he had ended up in.
I started designing and drawing what I had in mind. Buffalo plaid was my base because isn’t that what a Handy Man would wear? Plus my son calls the pony “Flannel Man” after Al Borland of Home Improvement fame. I bought bits and bobs and enlisted a creative, artistic friend who sews! A tree skirt, pommel saddle bags, and saddle chimes. That’s where we started.
We put our heads together, Mary took measurements, marked fabric, we turned things this way and that…and she was off to sew. I ordered ribbons and bows and hats and a LOT of little candy canes. Every day I worked on getting Handy used to the saddle chimes as they were much louder than I had anticipated. He soon decided they weren’t something to worry about.
Then came the preparation that, for years, I’ve put toward showing horses; color coordination between horse and handler, double checking details, ironing, braiding, brushing, and loading the truck and trailer but all the work I was doing was for giving to others instead of working to win something for myself. I was just as excited for this as I have been for any impending horse show! Only most horse shows aren't in 12 degree temperatures!
Class by class, Handy and I spread Christmas cheer as kids would give him a scratch and get a candy cane out of his little saddle bags. I answered a lot of questions and took Handy for walks in between classes. One of the things that the kids just loved is when, at the end of their class’s time with him, I fed him a tiny candy cane and he crunched it down with delight! Handy thought this might not be such a bad job after all!
After about 400 kids and candy canes, I undressed Handy, put his tail back up, put all our swag away, and was getting ready to load him and go home. Then one of the teachers came out and asked if her class could also see “The Christmas Pony.” I said, “Sure! But I’ve taken off all his finery.” She and the kids wouldn’t care. And they didn’t. They just enjoyed interacting with a kind animal and asking questions. Throughout the day some kids were a bit timid with Handy, and others wanted to pet him as long as their teacher would allow. Some kids were quiet and introspective, some were excited and animated. I know that kids can’t make memories that just might become seeds if nobody steps out to help them. And I know that I spent less money preparing to spend the day at the school than I would at a horse show.
Creating my own Breyer Christmas Pony, my living Breyer model allowed one of my childhood dreams to come true. I hope, by including the kids in that dream, I spread the seeds that could grow into future dreams. After all, not every school, and not every person has a Christmas Pony!
I’ve confirmed that you’re never too old to create a happy childhood and you may as well include children while you’re at it!
