Mummer Barbie and her ugly stick

Mummer Barbie

Any Mummers allowed in?  There is a Christmas tradition in Newfoundland of visiting neighbours' homes in disguise.  The neighbours may poke and prod the mummers and question them closely.  Once their identity is guessed, the mummers remove their masks (or pillowcases), food and drink are offered and then perhaps there is music before the mummers move on to the next house.

The mummers may carry small instruments with them.  If you can't play the fiddle or harmonica then maybe you can play the spoons or other percussive instrument.

Barbie has an ugly stick.  It is a dowel (real people use broomsticks) stuck in an old boot.  The dowel is topped with a stuffed pillow head wearing a headscarf.  I nailed sequins to the dowel but a broomstick would have flattened metal bottle tops.  The ugly stick can be banged on the floor or hit with a small stick producing a satisfying amount of noise to accompany the singing.

I love singing at kitchen parties.  Everybody sings, nobody listens.  Let's have one more verse of Michael Row the Boat Ashore and then we'll go home.