‘Twas the week before Christmas’

Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 21, 2002

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the town

Most people were smiling, while others wore frowns.

The smilers were cheerful, in a holiday mood,

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They were on a mission. They knew they’d been good.

They’d accomplished a lot. The city was stunning

With decorations and lights. Those people were running

To programs and parties and concerts and dinners,

They were glad that their town was a holiday winner.

Store owners were happy. Their business was booming,

A good year was ahead. Their attitudes zooming

With plans for the future, and dreams to achieve,

They knew they could do it &045; work hard and believe.

The frowners were grumpy as they dunked their doughnuts

&uot;This time,&uot; they said, &uot;We really have blown it.&uot;

Our taxes are rising. There’s no place to work.

Our people are moving, and then as they jerked

Their heads back and forth in a negative manner

They swore that &uot;We’re now in a serious downer.

We built a new school, next a courthouse and jail.

We can’t do it all. We surely will fail.

With folks getting older, our young people leaving,

It’s a serious matter. We’ve lots to be grieving.&uot;

They grumbled and moaned, &uot;Oh, what will we do?

Our town is so sad. Our people so blue.&uot;

The smilers knew too ’bout the &uot;progress&uot; they spoke of,

And looked at construction as positive growth of

A great little city, a beautiful town,

With owners whose historic buildings were gowned

With garlands and trimmings and wreaths in the windows,

And a welcoming attitude, fully intended to

Invite friends and neighbors and strangers to come

And stay for a while and join in the fun.

Make a home for their children, where graduates return,

To raise their own families, continue to learn.

&uot;With a positive attitude, a smile on our faces,

We’ll accomplish our goals. We’ll not lose these races.&uot;

Meanwhile at the North Pole, old Santa was busy,

Checking his list, with elves in a tizzy,

Designing and sewing and pounding and painting,

Completing each project, and still they were aiming

To please everyone who had written to Santa,

Then they came to a letter from Albert Lea, Minnesota.

The note from someone in that Midwestern city,

Had a strange request &045; an unusual ditty.

The writer had asked for a cooperative spirit

And people who set aside frustrations and fear. It

Requested compassion and understanding and love,

And working together, like a hand in a glove.

Now Santa had never received such a list,

And he knew his workshop was not equipped

To build or to sew or to paint or to wrap

The things that this Christmas letter had asked.

As he further examined the writer’s intent

He realized these needs were very important.

After pondering and puzzling, and questioning the elves,

His message, &uot;These Albert Leans must help themselves.

Put smiles on their faces, and not be so gruff,

Work harder together, and get off their duff.&uot;

And with that decided, then he went to bed

To rest up for the long Christmas journey ahead.

To you and yours,

“We wish you a season of love and of cheer,

And a happy and prosperous and blessed new year.&uot;

Merry Christmas

Bev Jackson is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum.