I'm not sure if it's my favorite, exactly, but it sure stands out.
I grew up in the woods in Canada- no cars, no running water, no electricity - with hippyish parents. Because they thought it was important to be totally honest with me, they told me there was no santa from the start. But later, I suppose they started to feel bad about it- what if they'd robbed me of some essential childhood fantasy? So, they created a stand in: Dr. Winter.
Dr. Winter was a dirty clown. He had a bedraggled-looking clumpy clown wig, and a grimy face. He was also mute. He came "down from the mountains" specifically for my birthday, when he would take me into the woods, give me gummy bears and a harmonica, and sit with me on the snow, silently, in a clearing for a bit. The extra-unsettling part was that we lived in a town of approximately 50 people, cut off from civilization but hundreds of miles, and this man did not look at all familiar to me. Creepy.
|