‘Twas the Night Before Christmas…

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through St. John,
Not a creature was stirring, even at Quiet Mon;
The stockings were hung by the Beach Bar with care,
In hopes that a Bushwacker soon would be there;
The tourists out to dinner, some at The Fish Trap,
Next head to The Tap Room for a little night cap,
When out on the dock there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my barstool to see what’s the matter.
Away to the beach, I flew like a flash,
Ran past the High Tide and heard a big splash.
The moon on the bay and the St. Thomas lights,
Gave a lustre of midday to something in flight,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than mongoose his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blixen!
To the top of Grande Bay! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up past Skytop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I put down my drink, and was turning around,
Down the palm tree St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his hand,
And his clothes were all tarnished all salty with sand;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
Now back at the sleigh were three ACC dogs,
And with them was Ziggy, their Facebook friend hog;
While back in the house, the man sampled some treats,
And made sure to leave some for the donkeys to eat;
He had a tanned face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the palm tree he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like Homer, a missile.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”