In Woodstock, VT, across the Connecticut river from us, December brings the town’s wonderful, quirky version of a parade.

Because Woodstock is horse country as much as it is ski country, their parade is composed of

big horses

and little ponies,

horses in garlands

and ponies dressed for warmth,

horses pulling carriages

of one sort or another,

horses carrying princesses

and fairies

and elves

and snowmen.

The sartorial splendour of the crowd is no less impressive.

Even the dogs are dressed to the nines.

It’s a perfect parade

from its opening moments

to the very end when the gentleman in top hat and tails picks up the parade’s manure and returns the streets to the cars.