Merry Christmas!

‘Twas the month before Christmas,
Our house was a bustle
Nothing Christmas was done
It was now time to hustle.

The children were restless-
Playing football through the halls.
As they practiced their tackles,
I prayed for my walls.

Nelson spoke the word
And they fell into line.
I took a deep breath
As I poured out some wine.

When out on the lawn
There arose such a clatter.
We sprang from our places
To see what was the matter.

We spied those darn Auburn fans
Shouting a not-so-nice cheer,
But we held our heads high and said,
“We’ll see you next year.”

By then the kids had escaped;
We searched the backyard in vain.
So we whistled and shouted
And called them by name.

“Now Mackenzie, now Aiden, now…
Oh, what’s your name?
Right, you’re Dawson and Max.
No, this isn’t a game.”

First to come was Mackenzie,
The leader of all.
A seasoned fifth-grader
Who’s growing so tall.

Her pink cleats how they shone,
Slim piano fingers were moving,
As so often we see her,
She was singing and grooving.

Holding tight to her hand was
Maximilian who’s two.
He was running and jumping.
It’s a miracle! It’s true!

Next in line came Aiden,
Inquisitive and in the second grade.
He was quarterback this year -
Lots of completed passes were made.

And last but not least was Dawson
Who finally made it to school
Minus four baby teeth,
Which he thinks is quite cool.

Of course, without Aiden’s help
The two teeth on top would still be in place,
But with dimples, freckles AND no teeth,
Who can resist his sweet face?

I grabbed them and pointed them
Into the line
Which as a new fourth grade teacher,
I’m doing a lot of the time.

Leading us all was Nelson
Still in advertising year after year.
He’s put more irons in the fire -
The next big idea always so near.

We gazed at this family
These stair steps in our care.
We can’t help but to think
We are a super-blessed pair.

We love each other, our family
And we love our friends too,
And so at this point
There’s just one more thing to do:

May the Lord bless you with joy
And a life filled with peace.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And may your happiness never cease.