‘Twas the week before Christmas
And all through my brain
My to-do list was running
Just like a freight train
From making my lists
To checking them twice
Ignoring the naughty
And spoiling the nice
The children all nestled
Each night in their beds
While visions of Pillow Pets
Danced in their heads
My husband in sweat pants
And I in my flannel
Sipped wine by the TV
While surfing each channel
When down through the chimney
One night by surprise
St. Nicholas landed,
Concern in his eyes.
“My reindeer are ready,
And so is the sleigh;
My elves have been working
All night and all day.
“The Mrs. can’t wait
For her yearly Girls’ Night
She has while I make
My deliveries by flight.
“But my inbox is packed
With requests for a gift
From Black Ops to Hogwarts
And Bieber to Swift
“A Game Cube and Xbox
For all girls and boys,
And when will Steve Jobs quit
Inventing new toys?
“I just can’t keep up
With the ‘wants’ and the ‘gets,’
I still have five cases
Of last year’s Zhu Zhu pets!
“This stress of wish-granting
Is too much to bear.
I’d like to retire,
Would anyone care?”
We patted his back,
For we knew how he felt.
I offered him cookies,
He loosened his belt.
“Dear Santa,” I started
While pouring his drink,
“I can see how the season
Of giving could stink.
“But the joy that you bring
Every year can’t be measured.
It’s your magic, not gifts,
That is annually treasured.
“So please don’t retire,
At least not this year,
Dear Santa, we need you,
Have I made myself clear?”
I watched as the worry
Vanished from his round face
And that familiar old jolly
Returned in its place.
“My Jules, you are right,
And I’ll tell you this too,
There is no greater happiness
Than giving to each of you.”
And with that he smiled
As he stood up to go
Back through the chimney
And into the snow.
But we heard him exclaim
As he herded his deer,
“Merry Christmas to all,
And a happy new year!”
No comments:
Post a Comment