Twas the Week Before Christmas by Trish Berg

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through my life,

whispered my Christmas to do list, giving me strife.

The gifts that were bought from Santa himself,

Were not yet sitting up high on a shelf.



The children were fighting over this and that

And I could hardly imagine what had caused their spat.

Another day of parenting, another quest for peace,

As Papa and I tried to make the chaos cease.



When down in the basement arose such a noise

I tripped over my feet and recovered with poise.

Away to the dishwasher I flew like a flash,

tore open the door, and was hit with a splash.



The dishes were wet, and hot water spilled

I knew that this faithful old machine had been killed.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

but miniature marshmallows stuck in here and there.



With forty little fingers so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment who had made them stick.

More rapid than eagles, my temper it came,

and I whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Hannah! Now Sydney!

Now, Colin and Riley!

Come into the kitchen

And don’t you be smiling!



To the top of the stairs!

Come big kids and small

Now come in here, come in here

Come one and come all! “



As food crumbs and bits that cover my floor

Stuck to the bottom of my feet and followed me out the door.

I searched for my children, and shouted again,

Then I saw their faces and the guilt set in.



And then, in a twinkling, my anger began to fade

As I saw them prancing in with joy that God made.

As I swallowed my words and was turning around,

Down the stairs they all came with a child like bound.



They were dressed all in PJ’s from their heads to their feet,

and their clothes were all covered with peppermints sweet.

They looked so innocent, so young, and so merry

That the anger in my heart was soon light as a fairy.



Their eyes--how they twinkled! Their dimples, how merry!

Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like a cherry!

They were cute and sweet, and had the joy of an elf,

and I laughed when I saw them, in spite of myself.



A wink of my eye and a twist of my head

Soon gave them to know they had nothing to dread.



I spoke not a word but went straight to my work.

And grabbed them and hugged them, then turned with a jerk.

And pointing to the kitchen and nodding my head,

Inviting them all in for cocoa and bread.



I sprang to the cupboards, to my kids sang a song,

And in they all came all singing along.



The dishwasher was not as big a deal,

As the way my temper would have made them feel.

So I learned a big lesson that cold December day,

And am trying very hard to put screaming away.



And each night this week when the chaos abounds

I’ll try to remember how true joy is found.

In the tiny little moments, in the cocoa and cake,

In the smiles they give and the pictures I take.



For they are just kids, and though the mess is real,

So is the time that each day seems to steal.

So when I tuck them in their beds so softly tonight,

I’ll whisper in their ears, "Mommy loves you, forever, sleep tight.”

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