‘Twas the night before ChristmasWhen we all gathered ‘round
To open the presents
From Santa, we’d found
The stockings weren’t hung
By the chimney with care
(‘Cause Mom put ‘em away last year
And couldn’t remember where)
I, in my Aggie shirt,
Furry house shoes and jeans
Had eaten so much
I was bursting at the seams
The little dogs were happy
To hoover the floor
From the tidbits we’d dropped
Only moments before
My BlackBerry was handy
To take pictures of the fam
While Chad roamed the room
With his video cam
Dad sat in the recliner,
Like a king on his throne
As Jen sorted loot
Into piles of our own
Mom wore her apron
As she sat by the tree
And Aislynn kept asking,
“Can we open them? Pleeeeease?”
Soon ribbon was flying
As we all looked inside
To reveal the big secrets
The wrapping helped hide
We oohed and ahhed
At the treasures we’d found
As I soaked in the laughter
And smiled at the sound
There, in that room
With my loved ones so dear
I realized I’m blessed
To have them all near
And then I reflected
From earlier that night
When we’d attended church service
And sang by candlelight
The kids marched on stage
To perform in the play
Complete with a manger,
A doll, and real hay
Their smiles were nervous
As they all took their place
And there was always that one
Who stared off into space
Or had forgotten his lines
Or sang a little off-key
Or mumbled, or shouted,
“Hey, Mom, look at me!”
What a joyous message
About Bethlehem’s star
And some wise men that traveled
From kingdoms afar
They fell on their knees
To worship a boy
Who’d give us salvation
And bring the world joy
Mary and Joseph
Would watch over Him
Until the day came
When He’d die for our sins
I thought about the life
That was given to me;
My wish is for everyone
To see what I see
So let the spirit we feel
During this season of cheer
Overflow from within us
To last the whole year
For the hope that surrounds us
And the gifts we bestow
Was given to us first
So many years ago
Our most gracious Father
Gave us unending love
In the form of a Savior
From Heaven above
