The night before Christmas Part 3

The night before Christmas continues..

We settled down for a wait
For no one knew how long
Each lost in his own thoughts
And I heard someone hum a song

I went back to the truck
To retrieve my hidden stash
I was pulling the cork from the bottle
When I heard a loud crash

By the time I got turned
The elves were on the run
'Stop them!', someone yelled
As a warning shot burst from a gun

When I caught up with the guys
The elves were sitting in the street
Hands tied behind their backs
And Derrick was starting on the feet

I had to restrain Santa
For he was still full of fight
'Calm down', I said
'Remember, its Christmas Eve night'

Santa looked at me
Relief in his eyes
Then he started shaking--
Santa was going to cry!

'What will I do', he said
'The night is half gone'
'So much left to deliver,
I won't be done before dawn'

I started to speak
Another favor to ask
But the boys were all smiling
Mike said, 'We're up to the task'

To make a long story short
That sleigh sure can scoot
We delivered all the presents
And even some fruit

I'll never forget
That Christmas Eve
When we helped Santa
So all kids can believe

Then everyone was gone
The new day was breaking
Santa and I were waiting
For the coffee I was making

After a cup
Of delicious hot brew
Santa shook my hand
'Elwood', he said, 'Thank you'

'You are a true friend'
'I can't think of one better'
He reached into his pack
Pulled out a letter

'These are all names'
'To be added to your list'
'I think I got them all'
'Not one did I miss'

I started to speak
Heard a creak on the stair
Turned to see who it was
As Santa leaped from his chair

He hit the door running
To his team gave a holler
And away they all flew
Faster than my eyes could foller

As I watched my girls
Open their presents with glee
I hoped they would always
Believe, like me

Later, at dinner
A text did appear
On my phone, from Santa
'Merry Christmas! I'll see you next year'

The End. or is it?

The Night Before Christmas, Part 2

The night before Christmas continues:

I heard the door shut
I awoke with a jump
Who's in the bar? I thought
Loading my gun with a pump

I crept down the stairs
My gun at the ready
Watching the kitchen door swing
... I felt my palms grow sweaty

I looked through the door
Recognized the figure at the 'fridge
Decided to have some fun
And maybe scare him a smidge

'Just stand right there!', I said
'Get those hands in the air'
'Don't shoot, mister', he cried
'Was getting a beer, didn't think you would care.'

He turned around slow
Relief showing in his eyes
'Thank God its you, Elwood'
'I'm sorry for the surprise'

The shock hit me then
When I turned on the light
The face was battered and bruised
He'd been in a fight

Poor Santy was a mess
His suit and had askew
'I got jumped at Fifth and Vine'
He explained, 'I didn't know what to do'

'I had Rudolph and the rest double parked,'
'Getting money form the ATM'
'When some outlaw elfs attacked'
They said, 'It's either you or them'

As he talked, I tried to sort it all out
But it was hard for me to comprehend
Finally he said, 'It's over , you know, I'll never deliver'
'They have it all, they know where I've been'

He had said enough
The problem was clear
No Santa? No toys?
And THE day was almost here

'Don't worry Santa', I said
'We'll get back the toys,
Just sit tight'
'I'll go call the boys'

I left him sitting
With a bottle of beer
Made several calls
The message was quite clear

Within an hour
They started to arrive
One by one the came
Until there was five

Friends of mine
And also of St Nick
'What do you think Santa',I said
'Will this do the trick?'

We gathered around Santa
As he sat down at the bar
He looked us all over
And emptied his pipe in a jar

'Long ago', He began
'They were the best in the trade'
'They did everything I asked'
'And I liked the toys they made'

'Then something went wrong'
'The toys started to get rough'
'They slacked off on the job'
'And finally I'd had enough'

'I told them they were through'
'They'd never work again'
'They were headed out the door'
'When one turned with a grin['

'We'll meet again Santa!', he cried
'Thats when we'll make you pay'
'We'll take everything you have'
'There'll be nothing left for Christmas Day'

Then Santa wiped his eyes
And looked at us again
Chris spoke up, 'We'll help you out'
'Where do we begin?'

We were ready, the six of us
When we stepped into the night
And when we loaded up in the truck
We were itching for a fight

We sped down the road
Our destination clear
'We'll start at my last stop', Santa said
'They should be quite near'

We went around a corner
Shawn pointed ahead-
Lighting up the street
Was Rudolph's nose of red

I parked at the corner
As Rudolph's nose began to blink
'Taught him code', grinned Santa
'Good idea, don't you think'

Santa watched Rudolph closely
Then blew his nose on a rag
'We'll wait outside', he said
'Try to take them without a snag'

to be continued

The Night Before Christmas

The night before Christmas
Was it really here?
Hardly no time at all
Until Ol' St Nick would appear

The tree was trimmed
And the lights all hung
All the parties were over
And the songs all sung

... Everything was ready
For tomorrow morn
When bows would be undone
And wrapping paper torn

A few presents waited
To be wrapped up all neat
But I needed to rest
Take a load off my feet

I sat in my chair
With a cup of hot brew
Relaxing and thinking
Of what was left to do

The TV came to life
With a touch of the remote
Nothing much was on
Just a rerun of 'The Love Boat'

But wait! There's more,
A commercial for the Ginsu knife
Then I stopped on a favorite,
'Its A Wonderful Life"

After the movie was over
I pondered the plot
About the consequences
Of being born or not

I sat there and thought
Of the things in my life
Everything I had accomplished,
My kids, my wife

I yawned a little then
And ran a hand thru my hair
Setting my cup down
I burrowed deeper in my chair

I thought about George
And what I would see
If we could trade places
And I was him and he was me

I was still in my chair
When I yawned and awoke
The room was quite cold
And seemed to be filled with smoke

I jumped to my feet
Expecting to see a flame
But across the room was a man
And he was calling my name

The man was odd looking
Over 6 feet I bet
With eyes like coal
And his hair stringy and wet

His clothes were all black
From foot to head
Except for his tie
A bright splash of red

Attached to his jacket
Was a pale pink rose
And horn rimmed glasses
Were perched on his nose

As I started torward him
He turned with a grin
'I'm glad you made it', he said
'Where have you been?'

His voice was familiar
Had I heard it before?
I started to ask him
But he led me to a door

We entered a room
Ablaze with bright light
He motioned for me to sit
As he sat to my right

The room was quite large
With shelves on each wall
Each shelf loaded with books
Some large, some small

He began to speak
As I studied the room
His voice soft and echoing
As if we were in a tomb

He spoke of life
And things unseen
Men who were good
Those who were mean

He said I was lucky
To have so many friends
Those who stick with you
Right to the end

He said the books contained names
Of everyone I had met
'You touched their lives', he said
'There'll be more, I'll bet!'

'Is this heaven?' I said
Looking for a clue
'It's close', he responded
When its time, you'll know what to do

'Who are you?' I said
'Why am I here?'
He took me by the arm, saying
'You have nothing to fear'

'Live your life right
Right up to the end'
'You may be required
to help an old friend'

Then he was gone
I was back in the bar
I was exhausted
As if I had traveled far

to be continued