Twas the night before
Christmas,
when all through the
store
Not a cropper was stirring,
not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung
by the fireplace
with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas
soon would be there.
The croppers
were nestled
all snug in their chairs,
While visions of scrapbooks
danced in
their heads.
And Cat in her ‘kerchief,
and Ray in his cap,
Had just settled
their brains
for a well deserved rest.
When out in the parking lot
there arose such
a clatter,
Cat sprang from her chair
to see what was the matter.
Away to the
door
she flew like a flash,
Tore open the mall doors
and looked for the sherriff.
The moon on the crest
of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of
mid-day
to objects below.
When, what to her wondering eyes
should
appear,
But the UPS truck,
and FedEx too.
With tired drivers,
so busy with deliveries,
She knew in a moment
it must be her big order.
More rapid than eagles
his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and
shouted,
and called them by name!
"Now BoBunny! now, Authentique!
now, Echo Park
and CartaBella!
On, Graphic 45! On, Fancy Pants!
on, Teresa Collins, and Bazzill!
To the top of
the rack!
to the top of the wall!
Now crop away! Crop away!
Crop away
all!"
As scrapbookers that before
the new products flock,
When they meet
with new product,
they SHOP!
So off to the tables
the croppers they
flew,
With arms full of product,
they were ready to crop.
And then, in
a twinkling,
Cat heard in the lot
The drivers get started
in their trucks.
As she came back in,
and was turning around,
Through the back door St Nicholas
came
with a bound.
He was dressed all in paper,
from his head to his
foot,
And his clothes were embellished
with ribbon and glitter.
A bundle of
tools
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 Petaloo roses,
his nose was a button!
His droll little mouth
was drawn up
like a bow,
And the beard of his chin
was as white as the snow.
The
stump of a pipe
he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled
his head like a
wreath.
He had a broad face
and a little round belly,
That shook when he
laughed,
like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump,
a right jolly
old elf,
And we all laughed when we saw him,
in spite of ourselves!
A wink of his
eye and
a twist of his head,
Soon gave us to know
We had nothing to
dread.
He spoke not a word,
but went straight to his work,
And filled
all the totes,
then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger
aside of
his nose,
And giving a nod,
out the door he flew!
He ran to his truck,
to his friends
gave a whistle,
And away they all flew
like the down of a
thistle.
But we heard him exclaim,
‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy
Christmas to all,
and to all a good-night!"
The store is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so that we can all enjoy time with our families.
We will reopen on Wednesday, December 26th at 10:00 a.m.
