Caroling by bicycle

I'm in a little caroling group at the office. Every year, we get together and brush up on our material, then make the rounds to various assisted living facilities, hospitals, retirement homes, etc. Our repertoire is a fairly standard mix. About half the songs are "Baby Jesus" songs, and half are "Frosty/Rudolph/WinterWonderland" songs.

(I think of us as "real-life little drummer boys." I may not be able to share fancy gifts, etc., due to my own always-tenuous financial situation. But I can sure join my friends in trying to provide a little happiness in the way of some Christmas music.)

My singing colleagues have come to grips with the fact that I always arrive at our destinations by bicycle... and with the Christmas lights a-flashin'! (To their credit, they make a real effort at carpooling; I admire them for it.) Day or night, rain, snow, or shine, I pedal on through.

There is occasionally a situation where it's night, and wet snow/rain is pelting me in the face, and I wonder myself if I'm insane as I ride across town. But I try to avoid genuinely dangerous situations, and be highly visible [the Christmas lights help!], and pedal on. I remember once when I was sloppin' around in semi-frozen slush in the bike lane - which, of course is not a bike lane when it's night and the bike-lane stripe is covered by snow. It would have been scary-dangerous, except all the cars for a half-mile in every direction were bumper-to-bumper, standing still, in gridlock.

What's particularly satisfying is when we have the occasional noon-time gig. They leave the office at 11:45; me too. They arrive by car at the destination; me too - on bike. They drive back to the office; I ride back. We all return to our cubicles in the same elevator. Sweeeeet!