Twas the Night Before A Florida Christmas

Christmas Eve, Florida-style

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town

No noses were frozen, no snow fluttered down,

No children in flannels were tucked into bed,

They all wore shorty pajamas instead.

To find wreaths of holly was not very hard

For holly wreaths grew in every yard.

In front of the houses were Daddies and Moms

Adorning the crotons and coconut palms.

The slumbering kiddies were dreaming with glee

That they would find waterskis under the tree.

They all knew that Santa was well on his way

In a red Thunderbird instead of a sleigh.

He whizzed up the highway and zoomed up the roads

In a snappy convertible peddling his loads.

As he jumped from the car he gave a deep chuckle

He was dressed in Bermudas with an ivy league buckle.

There weren't any chimneys, but that caused no gloom

For Santa came in through the Florida room.

He stopped at each house, stayed only a minute

As he emptied his bag of the toys that were in it.

Before he departed he treated himself

To a glass of Papaya juice left on the shelf;

Leaped into the car and put it in gear

And drove over bridges, singing with cheer.

But we heard him exclaim as he went on his way

"Merry Christmas, sunny Florida, Wish I could stay !"