Phyllis
Well-Known Member
Tâwas the Night Before Christmas â Rat Style
Tâwas the night before Christmas, and all thru the flat
Not a creature was stirring except for each rat;
The stockings were hung by the cages with care
In hopes that St. Santa-Rat soon would be there;
The rattys were nestled all snug in their cage
Visions of yummy treats were all the rage;
My cats on the bed ; gave my dog a loving tap
We all settled in for a long winterâs nap;
When out in my yard there arose such a clatter
I rolled from my waterbed - what was the matter?
Away to the window I looked thru the blind
And to my amazement, what did I find?
Moonlight shining on the deck outside
Showing the ramp, and suddenly I spied . . .
When what to my sleepy brown eyes should appear?
A miniature sleigh and eight small rodents here;
A little hairy driver with beady black eyes
It was Santa-Rat, for me a total surprise;
As fast as their feet could take them they crawled
He squeaked and grunted their breeds â then he bawled,
âNow gerbils, now hamsters, now cute little mice
On again, quickly, and Iâll feed you some rice !â
Around the edges and all along the walls
Crawl around, crawl around, crawl around all!â
The team all frisky â quickly did they scurry
Around the deck I watched them hurry;
As I looked they stopped by the door and then sat
With a sleigh full of toys and St. Santa-Rat;
And then in a twinkling I heard at the door
Scratching and scraping and pawing â and more!
As I opened the door with a questioning stare
In came St. Santa-Rat with a bulging sack there;
His fur was pure white from his nose to his tail
And all of my rats knew that heâd never fail;
A bundle of treats he had flung on his back
And just like a pack-rat he opened his sack;
His beady black eyes did sparkle so bright
His little pink nose did twitch with delight;
His little rat-mouth in a smile so cute
His curved orange teeth showing proudly to boot;
He had a kind face and a round little belly
That shook when he squeaked like a bowl full of jelly;
He was chubby and plump and a jolly old soul,
And I laughed as I saw him performing his role;
With a twitch of his whiskers and a wink of his eye
I watched him with happiness as he quickly ran by;
He spoke not a word and went straight to his work
And filled up the stockings then turned with a jerk;
Stockings full of yogies, veggies, cheese,
As I noticed the look on his face â he was pleased!
He jumped to his sleigh - gave his team a loud squeak
My rats then woke up and they sneaked a quick peek;
But I heard him grunt and it echoed thru the night,
âHappy Christmas to all â to all, an active night !!â
Written by Janet E. Baker and Michael E. Atchison
Tâwas the night before Christmas, and all thru the flat
Not a creature was stirring except for each rat;
The stockings were hung by the cages with care
In hopes that St. Santa-Rat soon would be there;
The rattys were nestled all snug in their cage
Visions of yummy treats were all the rage;
My cats on the bed ; gave my dog a loving tap
We all settled in for a long winterâs nap;
When out in my yard there arose such a clatter
I rolled from my waterbed - what was the matter?
Away to the window I looked thru the blind
And to my amazement, what did I find?
Moonlight shining on the deck outside
Showing the ramp, and suddenly I spied . . .
When what to my sleepy brown eyes should appear?
A miniature sleigh and eight small rodents here;
A little hairy driver with beady black eyes
It was Santa-Rat, for me a total surprise;
As fast as their feet could take them they crawled
He squeaked and grunted their breeds â then he bawled,
âNow gerbils, now hamsters, now cute little mice
On again, quickly, and Iâll feed you some rice !â
Around the edges and all along the walls
Crawl around, crawl around, crawl around all!â
The team all frisky â quickly did they scurry
Around the deck I watched them hurry;
As I looked they stopped by the door and then sat
With a sleigh full of toys and St. Santa-Rat;
And then in a twinkling I heard at the door
Scratching and scraping and pawing â and more!
As I opened the door with a questioning stare
In came St. Santa-Rat with a bulging sack there;
His fur was pure white from his nose to his tail
And all of my rats knew that heâd never fail;
A bundle of treats he had flung on his back
And just like a pack-rat he opened his sack;
His beady black eyes did sparkle so bright
His little pink nose did twitch with delight;
His little rat-mouth in a smile so cute
His curved orange teeth showing proudly to boot;
He had a kind face and a round little belly
That shook when he squeaked like a bowl full of jelly;
He was chubby and plump and a jolly old soul,
And I laughed as I saw him performing his role;
With a twitch of his whiskers and a wink of his eye
I watched him with happiness as he quickly ran by;
He spoke not a word and went straight to his work
And filled up the stockings then turned with a jerk;
Stockings full of yogies, veggies, cheese,
As I noticed the look on his face â he was pleased!
He jumped to his sleigh - gave his team a loud squeak
My rats then woke up and they sneaked a quick peek;
But I heard him grunt and it echoed thru the night,
âHappy Christmas to all â to all, an active night !!â
Written by Janet E. Baker and Michael E. Atchison
