2015

It was another one of those times when I was constantly forgetting where I left things, including my mind.

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the house,
We couldn’t find our ornaments.  Were they taken by the mouse?
We decided to search from basement to attic.
I’ll tell you now, this was quite traumatic.

We’d bought our tree about a week ago,
And just put it up with nothing to show.
No ornaments were on it, the tree was quite bare.
Which was quite unusual for this time of year.

We’d sat on our backsides and procrastinated,
Which right now was leaving us terribly frustrated.
Last year we’d thrown all the stuff into boxes,
Then hoisted them to the attic like a pair of oxes.

The tree needed to be decorated, so Santa would come,
Or this Christmas day would just be humdrum.
So I was off to the attic to find where they were put,
When I slipped on a rung and injured my foot.

After a few minutes, I hobbled on up
It felt like stair training for a young little pup.
I shined my light here, and then over there,
But I couldn’t see the boxes that we’d packed with such care.

Still not dissuaded, I looked this way and that.
Could they be gone, or hidden under a mat?
I scratched my head, and blinked once or twice.
This wasn’t an issue of “naughty or nice”.

It sounded like the clattering of tiny little hooves,
That’s it.  I’ve lost it.  That’s what this proves.
I jumped, hit my head, and cursed aloud,
Up in the attic that noise was quite loud.

I moved to the ladder and fell to the ground,
I lay there a moment in a quite lumpy mound.
Slowly, carefully, I started to rise
Feeling the pain in my body, especially my thighs.

I moved to the living room where I tripped on the dog,
And landed near the fireplace by the pile of logs.
I looked up to see a big pair of boots,
That had once been shiny, now covered in soot.

I slowly glanced up and saw a man dressed in red,
Ok, that’s it. I am officially dead.
I said “What do you want? How did you get in the house?”
His finger to his lips, shushed, “Don’t awaken the mouse.”

As I looked up further, I saw a thick white beard.
I thought for a moment this is really quite weird.
But his face shined with joy and he had this big smile.
He held out his hand and pulled me from the wood pile.

He set me down softly in the big easy chair,
Patted the dog and then turned with some flair.
Quickly and quietly, he went to his work.
I sat there grumbling, feeling like a jerk.

He just clapped his hands, and bright lights lit up his grin.
All the ornaments were on the tree from wherever they’d been.
But also there were boxes and presents under the tree,
For the wife, for the dog, for the mouse, and for me.

I looked over some, it was quite a list,
Everyone was accounted for, no one was missed.
There was one for me, and he pointed it out with some force.
A complete, unabridged, memory improvement course.

He then in a move laid his finger ‘side his nose,
And in a flash and a pop, up the chimney he rose.
But I heard him say “Merry Christmas” as they went off in the night,
“And next year, remember where you put the lights.”

Copyright Ó 2015 by

Brian and Shirley Dean