Not mine, I took it from the online Stephenville Empire Tribune today!
Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the pound,
Not a kitten was stirring,
Not even a hound.
The pets were all bedded
In their comfortable bunks,
With visions of sirloins
Cut into small chunks.
When out in the yard,
There arose such a noise,
The pets jumped in the air,
And lost all their poise.
Now Puppy, Bozo, Canine and Tuffy!
On Kitty, Tommy, Grumpy and Fluffy!
To the roof of the pound,
And over the fence,
Now dash away, dash away,
And dont be tense.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard from above,
Barking, meowing, and noises with love.
As I looked out my window and turned around,
Down came Santa Claus into the pound.
He spoke not a word,
And went right to work,
Filling all the stockings
Without a jerk.
He returned to his sleigh and gave a command,
Now Bozo and Fluffy you lead the band.
And as they departed and moved out of sight,
He yelled back to me: Merry Christmas, Mandy,
And to all a good night.
Mandy Chilton, an occasional journalist, lives in Stephenville.