The Night Before HoH Christmas

Editor: Here's a great traditional Christmas poem that has been slightly modified for the hard of hearing community. The author of this fine work is unknown.

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'Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes they'd be stuffed with new ALDS to wear
We all were nestled all snug in our beds,
Our hearing aids lay next to our heads

And I in my kerchief, and Pa in his cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long Silent nap
When our on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
But I couldn't hear, so what did it matter

When grumpy ol' Pa poked me awake
I said "Go back to bed, for goodness sake!"
But he pulled me from bed to show me the sight
Of the moon shining on snow in the mid-winter's night

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But jolly St. Nick with an aid in each ear
And eight tiny reindeer with a sleigh to pull,
Crammed full of presents for us all to mull.

I threw up the sash and yelled "Hi St. Nick!"
But he didn't hear, didn't hear me a lick
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and waved and signed them by name,

"Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blixen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of ALDs, and St. Nicholas too
And then in a twinkling, I felt on the roof
The prancing the pawing of each little hoof.

As I put on my aids and turned on the sound,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of ALDs he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His mouth was hidden by a fluffy white beard
I couldn't read his lips, so he couldn't be heared!
His battery pack has held tight in his teeth,
As he ripped it open and tripped over a wreath.

The batteries clattered all over the floor,
He crawled all around and found them by the door.
"Ah!" he sighed, as he put them in
"It sure feels good to hear again!"

He stood up tall and glanced all around
Searching to see if he had yet been found.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself.

With a wink of his eye and a sign of good cheer,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to fear.
He spoke not a word but went straight to work
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

His eyes twinkled knowing I would be pleased
Finding my stockings filled with A L D's
And before he rose up the chimney to part,
He signed this message with all his heart,

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

-Author Unknown