Christmas Time is in the Air...

Classics are hard to beat. I love Twas the Night Before Christmas, what with its familiar rhyme and classic Americana Christmas feel... I mean, can you really beat sugarplums and Santa cracking his whip?

Nope.

You can't.

In no way do I think I can beat the classics...

But I do think I can piggy-back on it.

Three Christmases ago I wrote this Christmas poem. Since then, I have come back to it with some fondness. I thought I'd share some with you.

Here is the first half of it...

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the school

The children ran wild, breaking every small rule.

The pencils were broken, scraps covered the ground

Not a child was quiet, no peace could be found.

The children were shoving all squished in the halls

While holiday pictures fell off the walls.

With recess now here, and I in my chair,

I’d just settled down to breathe in the air.

When there from my desk there arose such a sound,

I sprang to my feet and I looked all around.

Away to my desk I flew like a flash,

Pitched off all the paper, and threw out the trash.

Beneath all the rubble, deep down underneath

Was a red shiny phone engraved with a wreath.

I picked up the phone and answered, “Hello?”

Where this phone came from, I really don’t know.

When what to my wondering ears should I hear?

But the sound of hooves, from prancing reindeer.

And bells ringing too so I knew right away,

This call must be coming from Santa’s red sleigh!

And then came the sound of a voice-oh-so-cute,

An elf shyly asking for Mrs. DeLute.

“Yes! Yes! I am she,” I responded so quick.

Then the voice said, “Please hold for good old St. Nick.”

I knew just what’d come next, I knew just what I’d hear,

Santa’s jolly old voice filled with Christmasy cheer.

His voice warm as cocoa and simply sweet too

He’d call out, “Ho, ho! Merry Christmas to you!”

But he coughed out, “Hello,” and sounded distressed,

“Things aren’t looking good,” he quickly confessed.

“I just received word you class is quite wild,

It keeps getting worse with every small child.

Susie pushed Katie and called her a goof.

Jason kicked soccer balls up on the roof!

Kyle and Lisa made a terrible mess.

Then Cass splashed in puddles and ruined her dress.

If things don’t improve by the end of the week,

The results will be miserable, awful and bleak!

For on Christmas Morning each tot will then see,

There will be only coal down under the tree!”