Twas the Night

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. I know this for a fact because at 2 a.m. I was still assembling toys we had bought from Amazon. Most years I did this while the kids were visiting friends, but not Christmas 2020!

The last bolt inserted, the final nut tightened, I was finally in bed for a brief rest. Then from out on the lawn, I heard such a racket that I leapt from my bed to check it out. A full moon glistened on the newly fallen snow, the reflected moonbeams lighting up the ground in soft pale light. As I Opened the window to get a better look, my first inclination was porch pirates making a final pass. Pirates would have made more sense than what I actually saw—a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer along with a wizened driver.

The white-bearded guy was dressed in a Santa suit and, after analyzing the whole bizarre scene, I decided it must be Saint Nick. Before I had a chance to say anything, he called to his team, “Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the wall and on to the roof.” They followed his command and landed up there with a poof.

I leaned out the window and called, “Come down off the roof, those tiles are terracotta and the reindeer will crack them all with their hoofs. Besides, we have electric heat so you won’t find any chimney to slide down. I’ll meet you at the back door.” He acknowledged my request with a wink and a nod and in the blink of an eye, his team was on the ground.

My legs felt as though they were moving through molasses as I rushed to the back door to let him in. I was about to meet the real Santa Clause, a person I had stopped believing in thirty-plus years ago. I still wasn’t convinced this was real.

I opened the door and there he stood, looking like Santa from head to foot. The rotund little man put me immediately at ease with a smile, a proffered hand, and a promise that he had not broken even one tile. Wasting no time, he went straight to the tree and placed gifts for the kids, my wife, and even me.

His mission complete, Santa turned for the door briefly pausing to sample the snacks the kids had prepared. Back in his sleigh that was illuminated by the moon, Santa turned to me and said, “Don’t despair, 2021 will be here soon. Until then, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”