What happens when Santa comes to visit a family of campers? Find out in this fun twist on Clement Clarke Moore’s classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas! Written by full-time traveling teen, Hanna Smith, who draws from her own personal experiences living with her family in an RV for over four years to create this clever poem.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the RV
Not one person was stirring, unbelievably
The stockings were hung ‘cross the slide out with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas could find them in the middle of nowhere
The children were nestled all snug in their bunk beds
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads
And we in our warmest clothes, for the heater was about to snap
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap
When out in the campground there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bunk to see what was the matter
Down the ladder and to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the blinds and rubbed the fingerprints off the glass
The moon light shining on the new fallen snow
Gave the appearance of mid-day to the power pedestals below
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But, a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer
No one wakes in the camper without causing a stir
No matter how silent and nimble they were
So the family came running to join me at the window now
To watch what was occurring beyond the slide out’s bow
We saw a little old driver, so lively and quick
We all knew in a moment it must be St. Nick
More rapid than a truck with breaks burning, his coursers they came
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name
Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen
To the top of the vinyl roof, to the top of the fiber glass wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!
As an awning before the wild hurricane flies
When met with an obstacle, rips off and mounts to the sky
So up to the top of the camper the coursers they flew
With a very heavy sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas, too.
Then, with a loud creak above us, I heard on that vinyl roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof
“The way that they sound, they will rip it to shreds!”
Said Dad as his eye balls popped out of his head
As we looked away from the window and were turning around
Down from the air vent St. Nicholas came with a bound
We gasped at the sight, not believing what we had seen here
But, with a wink of his eye, we knew we had nothing to fear
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 toys he had flung on his back
And Dad winced at the site, for we had no more room to pack
To our stockings he went, counting eight in all
Hung up with care above the slide out wall
In the glow of our tree did we watch with delight
As he continued his work in our camper that night
He gave what we each wished for, because he always knows
And then he checked that the cold hadn’t frozen our hose
Then laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the air vent he rose
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a shout
And away they all flew like that awning the wind ripped out
But, I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good-night!
Artwork and Poem by Hanna Smith
copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved
