Just two days until Christmas Day and time for me to sign off for the holiday. I promised my wife I would not put blogging fingers to keyboard during this time; instead, I would wholly focus on my family. So I will try to keep that commitment.
Wishing everyone all the very best for a peaceful and happy Christmas, wherever you are.
I'll be back next week, probably around the 29th.
In the meantime, for your amusement and pleasure, I've included below a Christmas poem that I first encountered in a discussion forum on CompuServe in about 1990. I have never known who wrote it until now, thanks to a quick Google search.
The poem's mostly in English, and it will definitely help if you understand or speak a little Spanish as well.
The Night Before Christmas
(Tex-Mex version)
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,
Not a creature was stirring -- ¡Caramba! ¡Qué pasa?
Los niños were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,
While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos and malos,
A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.
Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
"¡Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"
Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,
Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos --
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all: ¡Feliz Navidad!
(Jim and Nita Lee, Dec. 1972)
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