Twas the night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Every creature was stirring, including a mouse.
Our makeshift stockings were placed behind the door with care,
In hopes that no cockroaches would find them there.

Both Candace and I nestled all snug in our beds,
While appalling karaoke, sung in the street, assaulted our heads.
And at 2am I, almost asleep, on my leg felt a tap,
Had that mouse really just jumped and run down my lap.

When realising the rodent was sharing my bed there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed, switched on the light, and Candace yelled “what is the matter?”.
Away to her top bunk bed I flew like a flash,
While the mouse disappeared in an equally petrified dash.

The light of the morning beginning to show,
Made us realise the time till we must rise was only 2 hours to go.
When, finally it was our time to appear,
Two sleep deprived women walked to the children’s home at 5am ‘oh dear’.

Making a lot of pancake batter, so gooey and thick,
35+ children smelt it at once, and forgot about St Nick.
More rapid than eagles on their varied sized legs they came,
We trembled, and shouted, but them we could not tame!

“Now steady! now, careful! now, tongues off the spoon!
Off, counters! Off, ceilings! Go back to your room!
To the frying pan all of these pancakes must go!
Now flip them! Don’t burn them! Ouch that’s my toe!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
Our children flew around the kitchen, as a bird does the sky.
So pancakes were flipped, flopped and eaten,
And not even one child needed to be beaten.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard from next door
The scuffling and pawing of hands on the floor.
As I poked in my head, and was walking around,
With presents in arms, from behind the Christmas tree they bound.

Covered in wrapping paper from head to foot,
They held little bags in which their presents they put.
A few special Toys no child would give back,
For today, just one day, there was nothing to lack.

Their eyes-how they twinkled! For excited they were – very!
As they sat to watch a Christmas film, cheeks red as a cherry!
Little mouths smiled, and hearts all seemed aglow,
As they watched “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and saw all the snow.

The need for some quiet, some space and a wee,
Turned Candace and me back home to make tea.
We then opened our presents, ignoring the fact we were smelly,
Sat, ate, and laughed till no more chocolate could we fit in our belly!

Then, from the ministry director, we were offered…well shucks,
A free Christmas coffee from a nearby Starbucks!
A cup of that coffee, and my tired head felt like led,
Soon gave me to know I must go straight to bed.

An hour of a nap, well it sure did work,
In filling me back up and sending Candace and me with a jerk,
Back to the children’s home where they froze,
As out of our bags the lice combs rose!

We sprang into action, with a scrape, pick and whistle,
Finishing our Christmas day leaving lice all a bristle.
But as we tucked in the children, and walked out of sight,
We could contently say “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

The beautiful sunset on a 30+ degree Christmas Day.