Volume 16, Issue 32
‘Twas the night before Christmas out here on the ranch,
not a critter was stirring, no bird on a branch.
The horses were all resting, munching on hay,
While the crew sat around the dinner table, talking about the day.
Snowflakes fell softly from up in the sky,
Where had the season gone, man time sure does fly by.
Trouble the ranch cat was all snuggled in bed,
While visions of catching mice surely filled his little head.
The night was winding down, the temps dropping low,
There’s no telling if Spring will ever melt all this snow!
Soon we were off to bed, the lodge buttoned up tight,
When something crossed the meadow, out there in the night.
Curious now, to the window we all sprinted,
“Could it be him?”, the crew all hinted.
The moon broke through the clouds, shining upon the snow,
And that’s when we heard it, a booming voice call “whoa!”
“Could it be?” we cried out, checking our sources,
It was a sleigh hitched up to eight of our ranch horses!
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
We knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
And he whistled and hollered and called them by name:
“Now Cooley! Now Nigel!
Now, Chief and Paco!
On, Booker ! On, Brumby!
On, Catman and Mighty!
To the top of the mountain!
No horse to big or small!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!”
As dry aspen leaves that in the wind fly,
When met with an obstacle, they mounted to the sky.
So up to the arena top the horses they flew,
With a sleigh full of the finest tack, and St. Nicholas too.
We ran from the lodge, to all catch a gander,
Oh what a sight, it couldn’t be grander.
Up there in the sky as they flew overhead,
Good ol’ St. Nick pulled out a cowboy hat to place on his head.
We all hollered and yipped and called out with joy,
Santa, tonight at least, was a good ol’ cowboy.
We heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Tig looking festive in his antlers!
Merry Christmas from our family to Yours! And Happy New Year!!
See you next year!
Emily