’Twas Christmas Eve and Santa Claus
Was on his annual trip
By reindeer from the cold North Pole
’Twas not, of course, by ship,
For his landing place this year,
“Aquinnah,” Santa said,
But the reindeer saw no light at all
As usually they had.

When in the past he’d chosen it,
They always had been glad
For there were beams of white and red
To help them see their way,
The proper light for travel
For Santa and his sleigh.

But this year, said the reindeer,
No cliffs were in their sight.
It simply was pitch black, they said,
On that important night.
No lighthouse lights were shining this year.
The tower closed for repairs
Their usual bright beams turned off
Until the month of May nears.

Thankfully, on this eve of Christmas
Although they could barely see,
the reindeer are so skilled they landed safely
With their gifts for you and me.

There were Bermuda tickets
For Ro and Ken Belain
And then there were some pickets
For Paul Garcia, for his fence
Then Cathy Proulx got bird seed
That will keep her birds quite happy
And then there was for Jan Pogue,
Who, past summers stayed on Chappy,
A welcome mat in Oak Bluffs,
Where now she has a home
And perhaps she will stay longer,
For past winters she would roam.

Then for Eliot and Lesley Burt
Were Star Wars for gifts beneath the tree
For Jason Flanders, Santa had more honey bees.
Then Stephanie Devine received a kitten
A white one with two black paw mittens.
Joe Tierney got a Sharpie pen
And Joanie Ames a hen
To join her ducks at Seven Gates
While Cynthia Riggs got dates.

For Trevor Grimes there were potatoes.
For Rose Willett there were tomatoes.
Jack Ryan got some new sleigh bells
For folks to ring, so no one yells
At his post office site.
Virginia Yorke got a bench for guests
So on their visits they can rest.
For Bill Veno was a chicken pot pie
And Susan Block got bread, ’twas rye.

Then Delanie Pickering got a new guitar,
That she will play both near and far
George Agnew got a guitar, too,
And Buzzy Hall a necktie blue.
Permethrin socks were for Alan Feldman
To give to folks who live on Chappy.
They’ll surely make them very happy
Keeping ticks away as they always do.

Then Colin Kennedy got a new bike,
No need for him ever to have to hike.
For Rebecca Cournoyer was another white goose
That, like the others, will run loose.
For Irene Tewksbury
Was a spa vacation
That allows dogs at its location.
Then for Fran Bradley
Was her own unicorn
To visit her on every morn.

Next, Martha Moore got cauliflower
That she cooks to perfection in her bower.
For Molly Purves in Santa’s sack
Were walking shoes of gold and black.
Then Dianne Holt got a new puppy
That will surely keep her happy.
And Margaret Maida got a new board came.
Marie Louise Levine got one of the same.

For Dan Leventritt was a new walking stick
While Lynn Christoffers got her own chick
To take the place of those gone to Chappy.
It should surely keep her happy.
For Fiona Merry was a Teddy Bear,
Of which she’ll take the greatest care.

For Nelson Wirtz were a year’s boat tickets
So he’ll make visits when he retires
After all these years of putting out fires.
And for barber Phil Combra,
Santa had in his sleigh
A barber’s pole so he can waylay
Passersby in need of a trim,
Who might thereby, find their way to him.

Then for Chris Baer were historic tales
Of the Vineyard past, in the days of whales,
And the days when the Mayhews landed here
Having crossed the ocean without fear.
Then for Marjorie Peirce were spices galore
On shelves that reach from ceiling to floor.
And then there were for Tully, Mandy
Roundtrip tickets that will be handy
For a ship that would be really dandy
After studies in Scotland, since that’s where
She’s been learning to sing — even on the air.

For Adriana Martino was a pink fairy dress
While Laura Silber got fresh watercress
To put in the soups she makes with care
And could easily sell at any Grange fair.
Then Jennie Gadowski got a collar and leash
For her dog, Autumn, while a ticket to Greece,
Complete with a stopover in Nice
Was for Nonie Madison Sauer
With family and friends.

Then Valerie Sonnenthal got a Nepalese drum
On which she’ll go te-dum te-dum
On nights when the moon is really full
While Charlotte Goeckel got her own bull,
And Debbie Hale got a new potter’s wheel
Since the pots she makes are quite a deal.
Peter Wells got a wet suit warm
So the Chappy ferry comes to no harm
When seaweed clings along its sides,
Which is something Peter can’t abide.

And Heather Bell got a new tow truck
So she can pull others out of the muck.
Suzi Wasserman got her book at last
About her grandmother in the past
On North Manitou Island in Michigan state
She hopes her book sales won’t fluctuate
But will stay high for many a day,
Something, of course, for which authors pray.

Then Gerald Yukevich, who helps those with ails
But writes a lot, too, got a pen for good tales.
Eilish Mahoney got slippers for dancing
And Cicilio Neto, when his ox goes prancing,
Got some reins that will help him lead
His ox to where it goes to feed.
Richard Skidmore got a new pair of glasses.
Isla Burt got a Bluzy toy.
Greg Mason got goggles for Menemsha summers
To make certain they’re never bummers.

Then for Tim Boland was a rare oak seed
While Charles Young got some good mead.
Angela Sison got fabric for her store
(She always likes to have some more).
For the George Rogers were more Christmas lights,
(They are, seasonally, one of Tisbury’s sights.)
For Beverly Smalley was a baby toy
That as she gets bigger, will give her joy.

For Barbara Francis was a Christmas turkey,
There were saved Bluffs for retiring Steve Durkee
A Broadway contract was in Santa’s sack,
Way down deep at the foot of his pack,
For Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, when she gets back.

But ‘twas getting late then
For Saint Nicholas’s deer.
No moon was yet shining
No LED lights yet to see
and little grass for the reindeer
So close to the sea
They signaled to Santa
‘Twas time then to go

Then St. Nicholas climbed
Right back in his sleigh
And he readied to travel
Away, far away.
While shouting to Islanders
As he’s always done,
“Merry Christmas to All
And please do have great fun!”