The Night Before Christmas
By Mike Eide
Poem originally written by Clement Clarke Moore
We wanted to have a fun post for Christmas this year. So I took it upon myself to take a popular Christmas poem and give it a little Mr. Fireplace flare. I hope you all enjoy.
T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the store
The fireplaces were burning, giving off a crackling roar;
The stockings were hung off the mantles with care,
In hopes that St. Roderick soon would be there;
The workers were nestled all snug at their desks,
While visions of holidays danced in their heads;
And Eileen with the donuts, and I with my notepad,
We settled into the meeting, of the week we just had,
When out in the lot there arouse such a clatter,
I sprang from the meeting to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the blinds and threw up the sash.
The reflection of fire on the new fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wandering eyes would appear,
But a bright red dodge truck, and eight devoted reindeer,
With a jolly old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Roderick.
More rapid then eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Dana! now, Jim! now, Glen, Jenette and Lacie!
On, Rhonda! on, Glenda! on, Jason! and Mistee!
To the top of the gazebo! to the top of the roof!
Now dash away! dash away! fast on your hooves!
So up to the store top the reindeers they flew,
With a dodge truck full of fireplaces, and St. Roderick too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I wondered in amazement and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Roderick came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of fireplaces he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
Dave L. & Ronald continued to work, and Dave C. sat up in his chair,
Dave E. came to greet him with holiday cheer.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Let us all know that we all had nothing to dread;
He spoke hardly a word, and then went straight to work,
And filled all the stockings with pine, fir, and birch,
And laying his finger on side of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his dodge, to his team gave a whistle,
They flew away fast like a bullet or missile.
What I heard him holler as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD-NIGHT.”