‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, two creatures were stirring… our cat chasing a mouse. The stockings were drooping almost down to the floor, ‘cause the tape had let loose and wouldn’t stick anymore. Too pooped to pop I had just left them there, praying the cat would not be aware. My son was all grown and not living at home, he was married and had three kids of his own. While pretending to sleep they had one eye open and from under the sheets they sneaked a quick peek. Sugar plums these days are so passe’ and have gone by the way. Now the visions that dance in their heads are hoverboards, laptops and iPhones instead!
Meanwhile at my house I heard quite a clatter. “Now what has the cat done? What could be the matter?” The racket was definitely coming from the den. I just hoped he hadn’t knocked the tree down again! No, not this time. All was well. Although he had stripped its lower branches which was easy to tell. Poking up from the rug there were pine needles galore and a nasty old fur ball and, yes, one more. Unfortunately, the tree skirt had been in his wake and had not managed to escape the contents of his tummy ache. No surprise his gut was upset (and I hope he had a tinge of guilt) after eating most of the cookies and all of the milk!
More noises I heard, from outside this time. Some of the Christmas lights had come loose and were flapping against the lower edge of the roof. One of the light strands running across the front of the house had burned out. To fix this would be a real nightmare, no doubt.
It soon would be time to open up gifts hoping that everyone got what they wished. Watching our step as we tiptoed along our way, not really knowing what or where the cat had the last say. There were packages void of ribbons and bows, I suspect something about which the cat knows.
It broke my heart to see many a gift with a gnawed name tag hardly still attached to it. (Those name tags are a challenge to say the least…there’s scarcely enough room to write in the To: From: space.) But I digress.
Then all of a sudden outside our door came a serious thump! And in strode a man I knew in a heartbeat was our new Pres. Donald Trump! He wore a red tie and a scowl on his face! He went straight to work posthaste. Then he shook his head and looked all around and said, “This is a mess like one you’ve never seen before.” Then he called to his cabinet, to the team gave a whistle: “Now, Susie! Now, Stephen! Now, Tom! Now Mike and Elise! On Huckabee, on Lee. JD you take the lead. (And that cat’s got to go.) When we’re finished here there is much more to do!”
And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
“Have a Merry Christmas and as 2025 begins
I’ll keep my promise to Make America Great Again!”
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