‘Twas the night before Christmas and outside the house
The wind was a’howling (the lousy old louse).
Snowing at breakfast and snowing at lunch;
Deeper at dinner - Why snow so darn much?
I was house sitting, as warm as could be,
Inside a big house with two dogs and no tree.
But come Christmas Eve I sought to depart
To go the church and offer my art.
To play the piano was my one intent
Or else I don’t think I would ever have went.
(Note: The last word in the above sentence has been used for rhyming purposes only, and in no way condones the use of improper language in poetry.)
The drifts were knee deep, but in my borrowed car
Nothing did I fear as I pushed through the bar.
One moment in time (just one, and that’s all)
The four tires spun like a cat on a ball.
And then we were free! Free to take flight
Down the slick highway and into the night.
(Actually, we barely made it to thirty.)
The service was grand with the candles and songs.
I played every tune, and they all sang along.
And then I was off once again in the car
That wasn’t exactly my own by so far.
We got to the driveway and started to go.
Then - THUMP! - we were stuck, just like that, in the snow.
The night before Christmas! Oh, what could I do?
Well, what would you do if it happened to you?
I called the nice people whose car I twice drove.
I called them and said I was stuck in the snow.
They said, “Call the neighbor and see if he will
Come out in the snow and lend you his skill.”
So, I did what they said, and I called him right up.
He said he would come and get me unstuck.
But did he know how it was howling outside,
With temperatures plummeting so far and wide?
But come he had said, and he didn’t dodge
But brought out his chains for the car that was lodged.
Well, the chains didn’t work, so he started the tractor,
And I sat in the car, waiting until after
The driveway was cleared of a foot of cold snow.
And all the whole while, the wind sure did blow.
I wondered as I sat inside the warm car
How his fingers and toes were faring out thar.
(Note: During that last sentence, the author suffered a temporary lapse into a somewhat obscure accent that uses the pronunciation “thar” to mean “there.”)
And this is a story from Christmas this year,
A story of manifest holiday cheer.
While you with your family and me in my socks
Were cozying up for a movie and talks,
A man outside in the freezing cold air
Was ridding a rather poor driver from care.
No fussing about it, no stomping, no glare,
Just one simple, “Yes, I can help you out there.”
And this is the meaning of peace upon earth,
The reason the Christmas songs have any worth.
A simple, benevolent story to weave -
Like one long ago on the first Christmas Eve.
