T'was the Day before Christmas.

I wrote this last year but never published it. Funnily enough, the first verse seems almost inappropriate a year on; funny how things can change. Anyway, i  hope you enjoy. I’m off on a trip round all the blogs i haven’t had a chance to read in ages now 🙂 Happy Christmas.

(With some, not inconsiderable, apologies to Clement C. Moore.)

T’was the day before Christmas and all through the town,
People still purchased with a curse and a frown.
In Tesco and Waitrose people stood upon toeses,
To get to the last of the big tins of Roses.
And all through the streets people sang with good cheer,
“Come get a boot full of cheap booze and beer!!!!!
We take cash, we take cards, we give credit, don’t fear,
Spend just £60 extra and it’s free for a year!!!!”

The engines of Google and Lycos churn hard,
As people hunt for a bargain to put on their cards.
“I know that it’s Wednesday and it’s Christmas Eve day,
But please deliver tomorrow… and i don’t want to pay.”
And this year’s top toy is in just one high street store,
(It’s lethal, don’t tell, just give us some more.)
They’ve just got to have it, they must, they just must,
Plastic and tat are the new gods we trust.

The street lights are twinkling, the fake ice rink has closed,
The sounds of the tills fade, the carousel slows.
Tis time for the shoppers to head for their cars,
To return to their children or slump in the bar.
Overworked retailers shut up their shop,
And realise at last they’ve been caught on the hop.
What’s in the stockroom that might just fit the bill
For their children who still have a stocking to fill?

And home with a heavy heart sinking in with shame,
To a Christmas late started with excuses so lame.
With barely a nod to their past festive making,
Hardly a bauble or tree and no Christmas baking.
“Now Mummy! Now Daddy! They’re here, oh they’re here!
We knew you’d get finished by the end of the year!”
And stockings get hung and carols get sung,
For our family Christmas has finally begun.