So, here's the thing, I grew up sledging in Winter. Now, in New Zealand that conjures up images of the favourite sport of Australia, that usually coincides with a cricket match taking place. However, in Britain a sledge is usually a plastic tray that you jump on, hold tightly to, and on which you send yourself hurtling down a snow bank, collecting small children on the way, and praying you'll stop before you hit the fence. You then repeat that until your perspiration has frozen and you cannot move, or the sun goes down... which in Northern England is usually half an hour after it came up.
The problem is, as we grew up we became aware that not everyone used the word "sledge" and some said "sleigh", whilst others simply said "sled". Some say "sledding" sounds silly, some surely say "sledging" sounds stupid.
Bizarrely, both come from Middle Dutch, however "sled" comes from "sledde" and is favoured in North America, whilst "sledge" comes from "sleedse" and is favoured in Britain. The difference is that "sled" is thought more of a recreational toy or vehicle, and is a term used in North America, whereas a "sledge" has a background in transporting heavy goods and is used elsewhere. If you want to transport heavy goods in North America then that's where a Toboggan comes in, as that is a Native American term for a sledge. A Toboggan therefore is a sledge, and not a sled, and whilst in the past many have though it to be the same, it isn't the same as a Bobsleigh, which is... still with me... not a sleigh, but a sled. The "bob" of the "bobsled" simply comes from the bobbing back and forth before setting off down the bob run.
Why is it a bobsled and not a bobsleigh? Well, even though the governing body is the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation, the "bob" isn't pulled by an animal (or animals), and therefore isn't a sleigh. If it were a true sleigh then it would have to go down the bob track pulled by horses, or reindeer, and that process would very quickly shift from hilarious to disastrous. Sleigh, comes from the modern Dutch "slee", which originally comes from the same Middle Dutch as the source of the word "sled". All of the words actually come from the Old Dutch word "slido".
You could now ask if we should refer to a dog sled or a dog sleigh, given it's pulled by animals, or indeed a dog sledge as it can carry cargo. At this point, we give up as it can be both a sledge and a sleigh, but more sledge than sleigh, unless you're in North America and you'll call it a dogsled. Roald Amundsen used a sledge to cover the frozen wilds, however just to confuse things, his "sled dogs pulled his sledge" according to researchers. Argh!
So there you have it, essentially, Santa does definitely drive a sleigh. However, you be you and just call it whatever you want, and if anyone asks simply direct them to the mess of the Internet and ask them to get back to you when they've figured it out.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the "Skeleton" bit, that's where you go down the bob track head first, on your front, on a tea tray (definitely a sled). It's named after the appearance of the sled and not, as many would assume, the likely finishing state for many of the participants.
And there you have it.
