Our Christmas Tree, As Told by Santa

I get letters by the millions,
More stories than a few
And sometimes like one well enough
That I’ll tell it to you.

This one came from an older man
Who shares his funny tales
Of battles with his Christmas tree
And what the job entails

And so without further ado
I’ll now tell his story
And hope that every one of you
Loves his allegory.

It’s Christmas and I’m far too old,
I think we’ll all agree,
To lug down bins from everywhere
To decorate our tree.

The tree itself’s a daunting task,
At 10 feet tall, it’s huge,
Which makes me wish some times each year
That I was more like Scrooge.

But somehow, I'll still get it down,
Each year, more worse from wear,
And when it’s finally in the house
I’ll crash down in a chair.

First look at it and then debate
To go ahead or quit,
But I’ll go on and set it up
To find some lights aren’t lit.

I’ll clean the floor of all the flock
That fell while being moved
And slide the tree most carefully
To stand where pre-approved.

And try to fix the unlit lights,
Itself a fruitless chore,
But finally just give up and ask
My wife to buy some more.

Once the lights are finally fixed
The big show can proceed,
But not before I take more breaks
Which is just what I’ll need.

We’ll watch the well-lit tree for days
Each day she gets madder
At me for taking far too long
To bring out the ladder.

Thus begins the long, slow task, to
Perfectly place treasures
Among the lights on snow flocked boughs
Bringing simple pleasures

Sadly, all work comes to a halt
By sounds that will announce,
To everyone in hearing range,
Glass ornaments don’t bounce.

Slowly, branches begin to fill
With colors, bright and bold
That sparkle when lights hit them right
In red, and green, and gold.

And then the task comes to an end
When the last ball’s been hung,
Why do we do this every year?
Each year I feel less young.

No And now the bins that held them all
Must all be put away,
Back in the attic and the shed
For six weeks they will stay.

So, after Christmas ends this time,
I need to ask you, Dear,
Something about our Christmas Tree
Can it stay up all year?

Merry Christmas
Santa Mike