“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” read by Pat Severin.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas…
by Pat Severin
‘Twas the night before Christmas …
“You boys go to sleep!”
Mom said with a smile.
“Don’t anyone peek!”
It took all we had
Just to stay in our beds
As visions of presents
Danced in our heads.
“Tomorrow’s the day,”
I said to my brother,
Who whispered to me,
“I think I hear mother!”
So we laid very still
Pretending to sleep,
Neither one of us stirring,
Our secret to keep.
When finally we thought
That the coast was all clear,
Both of us whispered,
“Christmas day’s almost here!”
We did try to sleep
But we just couldn’t do it,
And a couple of times
We both almost blew it!
If my brother dozed off,
Then I would wake him.
But closer to morning,
I’d grab and I’d shake him
Till the morning arrived.
Must have been before sunup.
Then we ran downstairs
To see the house done up
In garland and tinsel
And bright, twinkling lights.
Mom and Dad put the tree up!
Must’ve done it last night!
And then we began
To examine the tags
Of all the presents
And the boxes and the bags.
Our Mom and Dad followed.
They sure looked worn out,
Both of them yawning and stretching,
But excited, no doubt!
Yes, this was the moment
We’d all waited for,
Tearing open the presents,
Wrappings covering the floor.
“You got me that wallet
I told you I liked!”
“I got you that map
From the place where we hiked.”
But, then something strange
Became very clear.
This Christmas was different
Than even last year.
That is, I’d discovered
Something crazy but true:
That it’s more fun to give
Than to get things from you.
Christmas time is just great
For my brother and me.
But the best part of Christmas
Is our family, the tree …
And a day spent together.
And there’s so much to do …
But … I’m really tired.
How about you?
About the Poet
Pat Severin is a retired Christian school teacher who has always found inspiration for her poems from her faith and her love of people and children. She is currently published in the Christian Magazines, The Agape Review, The Clay Jar Review, and The Way Back 2 Ourselves. She has also been a featured poet in many of the Southern Arizona Press anthologies. Additionally, she is one of the contributors to the books Chicken Soup for the Soul and Perfectly Imperfect Rescues and Their Humans. Her personal ministry is sending encouraging poems in her original cards to people going through difficult struggles.
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