Twas the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house,
Made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney,
With presents to give,
And to see just who,
In this house did live.
I looked all about,
A strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, No presents,
Not even a tree.
No stocking by the mantle,
Just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures,
Of far distant lands.
With medals and badges,
Awards of all kinds,
A sober thought,
Came through my mind.
For this house was different,
It was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,
Once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping,
Silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor
In this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle,
The room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured,
A United States soldier.
Was this the hero,
Of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho,
The floor for a bed?
I realized the families,
That I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers,
who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world,
The children would play,
And the grown-ups would celebrate
A bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom,
Each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers,
Like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder,
How many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve,
In a land far from home.
The very thought,
Brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees,
And started to cry.
The soldier awakened,
And I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry,
This life is my choice.
I fight for freedom,
I don't ask for more,
My life is my God,
My country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over,
And drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it,
I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours,
So silent and still.
And we both shivered,
From the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave,
On that cold, dark, night,
This guardian of honor,
So willing to fight.
The soldier rolled over,
With a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "Carry on Santa,
It's Christmas Day, all is secure."
One look at my watch,
And I knew he was right,
"Merry Christmas my friend,
And to all a goodnight."
~Clement Moore 1822~
kind favor of sending this
to as many people as you can?
Christmas will becoming soon
and some credit is due to our
U.S. service men and women for
our being able to celebrate
these festivities. Let's try
in this small way to pay a
tiny bit of what we owe. Make
people stop and think of our
heroes, living and dead, who
sacrificed themselves for us.
Please, do your small part to
plant this small seed.
