Christmas Eve in the Arctic
by George Albert Leddy
MANY A MAN
HAS WISHED IN VAIN
THAT THE DAYS GONE-BYE
MIGHT COME AGAIN
I’ll never forget that Christmas Eve
I spent in my shack alone;
In that lonesome land in the great-beyond,
That Santa has never known;
How the winds swept down from the frozen heights
Like the banshees’ mournful cry;
And the pine on the hearth burned warm and bright,
And all alone was I.
Then I closed my eyes and there came to me
In voices soft and low,
The Christmas Carols we used to sing
In days of long ago.
It carried me back to my home again;
A boy with no earthly care;
And the stockings were hung by the fireplace,
And Mother and Dad were there.
And my brothers were: Jim, Dan and Bob;
And my sisters were: Beth and Sue.
They’d told us that Santa would come tonight,
And of course we knew ‘twas true.
There were apples and nuts, and candy too;
We’d gathered it all ourselves;
And the popcorn we’d strung on little strings
Was hanging from the shelves.
There was love and joy, and the evening passed,
And our little prayers were said;
And Mother had kissed us a sweet goodnight,
And we were tucked in our little bed;
To dream of Old Santa coming soon
With his pack overloaded with toys;
With his “Ha! Ha! Ha!” and his “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
As he greeted the girls and boys.
Then I woke to the cry of a pack of wolves
As they fought to make their kill;
And I saw in the east a pale cold moon
Rising beyond the hill;
But I’d lived again a Christmas Eve
Like in the days of the long gone-bye;
While the pine on the hearth was burning bright,
And all alone was I.