Pippin, trying out some decorations.
Dear Pippin,
I think we’ve FINALLY come up with the pieces and parts that will make up our routine — our very first liberty freestyle routine! — in Luke’s Christmas show. It is such an honor that he invited us to perform, and I want us to make him proud! Choreographing this routine is tricky, though, because in my brain everything goes perfectly according to plan, but in real life, transitioning from one thing to another is tough— you either take a while to switch gears, or you get a little overly rambunctious and make one of your signature springy runs around the arena.
I’ve made a few trips to JoAnne’s and Michael’s, looking for a few Christmas-y things to decorate you with. After some trial and error I’ve decided on red poinsettias: elegant yet festive! They look stunning and they’re so bright they even make the rest of you look less dirty! Now I’m just trying to figure out how to get them to stay in your mane without flopping over or you trying to shake them out. We will definitely need a trial run.
I bought some spray glitter and some jingle bells too! But maaayyybe that’s too much? I won’t know until we try it all out together. And I said I wouldn’t get myself a new outfit, buuuut I saw that red taffeta dress at Anthropologie and knew it would be perfect— it matches your poinsettias! I can even wear it again at other non-horse events, so it doesn’t feel like quite such a splurge. When I was in the dressing room the attendant asked if it was for a special occasion and I told her I was in a performance. “Oh?” she said, “What kind?” It felt so strange to say “I’m doing a routine with my horse for a Christmas show,” — who says that??!! — but I explained and we chatted for awhile. Turns out she had horses when she lived in England. She asked where she could get tickets for the show— it would be so fun if she came!
I will say, I’m a little worried that you’ll be nervous the night of the show. Luke says over 150 people already bought tickets — yikes! — and even though it’s your home and we are in that arena every day, it’s never been filled with sooo many people and chairs and spotlights and clapping. Ooof! You have to pay attention to me and trust that I’ve got your back, my little friend.
In the end, though, I don’t think it really matters what winds up happening, and I have to remember that. You’re a unicorn after all, and everybody loves a unicorn. We’ll look fabulous together in our matching reds, and as long as the Christmas spirit shines out from our hearts and brings even a small amount of joy to all those people, that’s what matters most.
My new red dress.
Figuring out what color combinations to use for the presents we’re using as props.