2003

It was another year where things were happening late (like when isn't it).  We spent a lot of time doing other things, and the house decorations didn't get out until late.  We watched while all the houses on the street put up their decorations, except us. 

T’was the night before Christmas,
and all through the city,
The houses were lit, they were dazzling and pretty.
Where weeks ago, they were drab, dull, and gray,
They were decked out with lights, so festive and gay.

Except for our house, which was so dark and dreary,
I had been much too busy, I was tired and weary.
The decorations still, were up in the attic,
Their set up is manual, clearly not automatic.

The neighbors would say, 'Your house is so dark,
We’ll pitch in a candle just for a lark.'
They wanted to see flamingdeer* out on the lawn,
Not a cow, or a goat, not a pig, nor a fawn.

I knew the deer had to come, spread their wings,
But I did not know if we'd see such things.
I had to make time to help the deer take flight,
Maybe the day after tomorrow, around midnight.

I looked at the calendar as time flew by,
But other things claimed priorities that were quite high.
In the midst of a festive and magical night,
Sat our house, a black hole, it just wasn’t right.

My mind was all foggy, and numb and confused,
I thought I would lay down and take a short snooze.
Here it was Christmas Eve and the job had not been done,
The neighbors would say, that we're just no fun.

I was so sleepy, I took a nap for the day,
I thought if I rested, things would all go my way.
And yet as I slept, it was set, the course,
A voice in my head said 'go ahead, use the force'.

When at last I awoke, I stopped, looked, and listened,
Outside I could see, the other houses, how they glistened.
But the sound that I heard
was coming from inside of the attic,
There was so much noise, it sounded like static.

I listened more closely and sucked in my cheeks,
It sounded like eight sets of claws, and feathers and beaks.
I looked at the dog who was already awake,
She shook so hard she made the bed quake.

Slowly, so slowly through the house we went,
To see what this noise was, and what it all meant.
And then what to our wondering eyes did appear,
A miniature sleigh, and eight bright pink flamingdeer.

Quickly they moved through the house from the attic,
Maybe I was wrong, and it was all automatic.
They moved single file through the house to the lawn,
Along with lights and extension cords,
and I started to yawn.

I got kind of brave and out the window took a glance,
All the decorations were lining up,
the fl’deer in their stance.
Over and up the strings of lights they did go,
Plugging in, and lighting up, now to and fro.

The candy canes came ‘round, and fell into place,
The power cords entwined daintily, like lace.
The rope lights unrolled out onto the lawn,
Right to the place where they should have gone.

And soon the decorations were all in their place,
If only the neighbors could just see my face.
If I told them, they'd be surprised,
and amazed, and then wonder,
What kind of mushroom I'd been sleeping under.

But everything was pretty, the black hole was gone,
All the pretty decorations were out on the lawn.
The dog and I turned, went back to bed, quite aloof,
But then came a new noise, from on top of the roof...

Copyright Ó 2003 by

Brian and Shirley Dean