On a foggy Christmas Eve,
My friend and I sat down
To celebrate the season –
“Merry Christmas” all around.
Now my friend told me this story
That he swore was true.
I have no cause to doubt him
And wanted to share it with you.
With Christmas turkey on his fork,
He paused and looked out the window.
His body gave a shudder
As he asked, “Do you know...”
“...What happened that Christmas Eve
When I wasn’t here?
Do you remember
That particular year?”
I nodded at him and smiled
As he finished up his plate.
Sometimes the best conversation
Happens when you wait.
He poured himself some cocoa
As I cut and served the pie.
He took a little sip
And looked me in the eye.
“I was running kind of late
Trying to meet you for our meal;
I decided on a shortcut
through the cemetery – no big deal.”
“I didn’t notice fog or dark
As I passed over hallowed ground.
I thought I was doing well
Until I heard that sound.”
“The trees were kind of eerie
That night in the graveyard,
And the unexpected sound
Put me on my guard.”
“It didn’t sound like prancing
Or pawing of the hoof.
No fat man in his sleigh
Could make that sound on a roof.”
“It was a scratching, scrabbling, clawing sound
That I heard there in the dark
With a slightly woody hollow jingle.
I should have cut through the park.”
“The sound was all around me now.
There was no place for me to go,
So I hid behind a gravestone
making sure to crouch down low.”
“I had just made it to the hiding spot
When what to my wondering eyes should appear?
A bony, skeletal hand came from the ground
to cause me great fear.”
“Skeletons began to rise
On that Christmas Eve.
From the ground they came,
It’s still hard to believe.”
“They rose up from their graves –
These remnants of the dead,
Lots and lots of skeletons
In Santa hats of red.”
“They gathered in a circle,
And then they bowed their heads.
They began to dance around
in their Santa hats of red.”
“Round and round they went
In that ring of posies.
Then a fiddle played,
and they do-dosied.”
“They Hokey-Pokeyed Macabre
Their body parts in and out
Turning themselves around
As if that’s what it was all about.”
“The Lindy Hop, the Chicken Dance,
The Salsa and the Fox Trot –
There wasn’t a dance they didn’t do
At least that I could spot.”
“The Macarena, the Waltz
And Mambo Number Five,
The Monkey, the Pony,
The Cool Jerk and Hand Jive...”
“They even did the Limbo.
Everyone got a chance
Moving their bodies down
to do the Limbo dance.”
“It seemed to have ended
Quicker than it started.
They returned to their graves,
The bodies of the dearly departed.”
“But I swear to you
Until the day I die
What I heard them say –
I’m telling you no lie –“
“Before they returned to the ground
I am certain I heard them say,
‘Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good day!’”
“I didn’t waste any time
Once they were done.
I got out from behind the headstone,
And away I did run.”
“Fast as fast can be,
I ran back to my house
Where not a creature was stirring
not even a mouse.”
“I didn’t look beneath the tree
For presents that were there.
I went straight to bed
To recover from my scare.”
“When I got up the next day
And looked beneath the tree,
I found some jingle bones
From the skeletons to me.”
My friend finished his story
And took a bite of pie.
I could tell by looking at him
that he didn’t lie.
I didn’t know what to say
To my friend so dear.
I, too, had a tale
about Christmas Eve that year.
He finished his dessert,
And I knew it would have to wait.
My Christmas Eve tale
Would be for a later date.
He bundled up
To go back home;
Promising off the path
Not to roam.
We opened the door.
He stepped outside.
His Christmas smile.
He could not hide.
We shook each other’s hands.
He said, “It was fun.”
“Merry Christmas,” I replied,
“And God bless us everyone.”
My friend and I sat down
To celebrate the season –
“Merry Christmas” all around.
Now my friend told me this story
That he swore was true.
I have no cause to doubt him
And wanted to share it with you.
With Christmas turkey on his fork,
He paused and looked out the window.
His body gave a shudder
As he asked, “Do you know...”
“...What happened that Christmas Eve
When I wasn’t here?
Do you remember
That particular year?”
I nodded at him and smiled
As he finished up his plate.
Sometimes the best conversation
Happens when you wait.
He poured himself some cocoa
As I cut and served the pie.
He took a little sip
And looked me in the eye.
“I was running kind of late
Trying to meet you for our meal;
I decided on a shortcut
through the cemetery – no big deal.”
“I didn’t notice fog or dark
As I passed over hallowed ground.
I thought I was doing well
Until I heard that sound.”
“The trees were kind of eerie
That night in the graveyard,
And the unexpected sound
Put me on my guard.”
“It didn’t sound like prancing
Or pawing of the hoof.
No fat man in his sleigh
Could make that sound on a roof.”
“It was a scratching, scrabbling, clawing sound
That I heard there in the dark
With a slightly woody hollow jingle.
I should have cut through the park.”
“The sound was all around me now.
There was no place for me to go,
So I hid behind a gravestone
making sure to crouch down low.”
“I had just made it to the hiding spot
When what to my wondering eyes should appear?
A bony, skeletal hand came from the ground
to cause me great fear.”
“Skeletons began to rise
On that Christmas Eve.
From the ground they came,
It’s still hard to believe.”
“They rose up from their graves –
These remnants of the dead,
Lots and lots of skeletons
In Santa hats of red.”
“They gathered in a circle,
And then they bowed their heads.
They began to dance around
in their Santa hats of red.”
“Round and round they went
In that ring of posies.
Then a fiddle played,
and they do-dosied.”
“They Hokey-Pokeyed Macabre
Their body parts in and out
Turning themselves around
As if that’s what it was all about.”
“The Lindy Hop, the Chicken Dance,
The Salsa and the Fox Trot –
There wasn’t a dance they didn’t do
At least that I could spot.”
“The Macarena, the Waltz
And Mambo Number Five,
The Monkey, the Pony,
The Cool Jerk and Hand Jive...”
“They even did the Limbo.
Everyone got a chance
Moving their bodies down
to do the Limbo dance.”
“It seemed to have ended
Quicker than it started.
They returned to their graves,
The bodies of the dearly departed.”
“But I swear to you
Until the day I die
What I heard them say –
I’m telling you no lie –“
“Before they returned to the ground
I am certain I heard them say,
‘Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good day!’”
“I didn’t waste any time
Once they were done.
I got out from behind the headstone,
And away I did run.”
“Fast as fast can be,
I ran back to my house
Where not a creature was stirring
not even a mouse.”
“I didn’t look beneath the tree
For presents that were there.
I went straight to bed
To recover from my scare.”
“When I got up the next day
And looked beneath the tree,
I found some jingle bones
From the skeletons to me.”
My friend finished his story
And took a bite of pie.
I could tell by looking at him
that he didn’t lie.
I didn’t know what to say
To my friend so dear.
I, too, had a tale
about Christmas Eve that year.
He finished his dessert,
And I knew it would have to wait.
My Christmas Eve tale
Would be for a later date.
He bundled up
To go back home;
Promising off the path
Not to roam.
We opened the door.
He stepped outside.
His Christmas smile.
He could not hide.
We shook each other’s hands.
He said, “It was fun.”
“Merry Christmas,” I replied,
“And God bless us everyone.”