'Twas The Night Before Christmas (In Texas!)! 'Twas the night before Christmas In Texas you know, Way out on the prairie (Without any snow). Asleep in the their cabin Were Buddy and Sue, A-Dreamin' of Christmas, Like me and like you. Not stockings, but boots At the foot of their bed, For this was in Texas, What more need be said? When all of a sudden >From out the still night, There came such a ruckus It gave me a fright! And I saw 'cross the prairie Like a shot from a gun, A loaded-up buckboard Come on at a run. The driver was 'geein', And 'hawin', with a will. The hosses (not reindeer) He drove with such skill. "Come on there, Buck, Pancho, And Prince, to the right! There'll be plenty of travelin' For ya'll tonight." The driver in levi's And shirt that was red, Had a ten gallon Stetson On top of his head. As he stepped from the buckboard He was really a sight, With his beard and mustache So curly and white. As he burst in the cabin The children awoke, And both so astonished That neither one spoke. And he filled up their boots With such presents galore That neither could think Of a single thing more. When Buddy recovered The use of his jaws, He asked, in a whisper, "Are you Santa Claus?" "Am I the real Santa? Well, What do you think?" And he smiled as he gave A mysterious wink. Then he leapt in his buckboard And called back, in his drawl, "TO ALL CHILDREN OF TEXAS, MERRY CHRISTMAS, YA'LL!" -- Lynn Appling McCandless Please visit my webpages: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~lynn/ send mailto:lynnintx@texas.net