THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the cage
Not a ferret was stirring, not even a Pester-Doodle;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that the raisin ferry soon would be there;
The business were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of mega raisens danced in their heads;
And Peekaboo in her 'hammy, and Pester in her box,
They just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from the nap to see what was the matter.
Away to the window like a flash,
Sneaked behind the shutters and slipped under up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight wonderful ferrets,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Bill G.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Byte-me! now, Rug Lumper! now, Nibble-ed and Kodo!
On, Podo! on Diz! on, Bud and Klank!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dook away! dook away! dook away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the table-top the coursers they flew,
With the hammy full of toys, and Bill G. too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little clawed paw.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney they all came with a bound.
All were dressed all in fur, from his head to foot,

And the fur were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bag of treats had flung on floor, The fuzz butts were in a tizzy
gobble chew nibble!
their eyes -- how they twinkled! their dooks how merry!
their cheeks were stuffed full, his nose like a well fed dooker!
The droll little mouths was drawn up like a bow,
And the whiskers on their chins were as covered with dooks;
The big raisin held tight in their teeth,
And the crunching encircled their head like a wreath;
He had a broad faces and a little round bellys,
That shook, when they dooked like a bowlful of jelly.
They were chubby and plump, like a jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw them, in spite of myself;
A wink of Pester's eye and a twist of her head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
She dooked not a word, but went straight to his work,
And dove into all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying a tootsie roll on the new carpet,
And giving a nod, back into the cage they ran;
He sprang to the hammy, to his team gave a loud dook,
And away they all slept like the rip van winkle of lore.
But I heard them exclaim, ere he nodded off to sleep,

"Dooks to all, and to all a good-night."

[Posted in FML 6557]