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It Was Christmas Eve

…and nothing went to plan.

By Sandy GillmanPublished 19 days ago 2 min read
AI-generated illustration (alarmingly accurate)

This poem was written with a nod to the old Christmas favourite, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' but I've put my toddler-mum spin on it.

🎄🎄🎄

It was Christmas Eve and her toddler was in care.

It was time to work; she had to prepare.

The presents were wrapped with minimal flair.

Her relatives hadn’t done it, so why should she care?

🎄🎄🎄

Turning on the TV, it was time for Home Alone.

This was her tradition, her Christmas zone.

She went to the kitchen to pour some gin.

“Time to get merry,” she said with a grin.

🎄🎄🎄

She worked so hard to make a Christmas Day feast,

but she’s definitely no chef, to say the very least.

The decorations wouldn’t stay on her Christmas cake.

They kept sliding off. “Oh, for goodness’ sake!”

🎄🎄🎄

She stirred and stirred the gravy, but it was still lumpy.

Why couldn’t she do this? It was making her grumpy.

She pulled out the greens; they were a little wilted.

She reached for the dressing… but then she spilt it.

🎄🎄🎄

Her cooking was interrupted by a sudden, loud chime.

She thought to herself, “Will I get this done in time?”

A late Christmas delivery — someone waiting at the door.

She opened it with such a crash, the wreath slid to the floor.

🎄🎄🎄

Going to hang her son’s stocking, she saw it had been lost.

Finally, she found it in the freezer; her toddler hid it in the frost.

Dipping into the Christmas Day chocolates, she nearly ate them all;

maybe she could pretend the box was small?

🎄🎄🎄

She realised time had run out as she looked at the clock;

if she didn’t get her son soon, he’d be in a strop.

She frantically grabbed her car keys; she didn’t have to go far.

Then, she slipped on a toy train and slid straight to the car.

🎄🎄🎄

There were soccer-mum vans all over the lot,

but her cute little blue car slid straight into a spot.

She found her little boy; he was playing out in the yard.

He looked right past her and said, “Where’s Dad?” with total disregard.

🎄🎄🎄

While driving back home, she smiled and thought to herself,

“Thank God I don’t bother with Elf on the Shelf.”

Oh well, it wouldn’t be perfect, but she’d given it her all.

She really hoped her little boy would have an absolute ball.

FamilyHoliday

About the Creator

Sandy Gillman

I’m a mum to a toddler, just trying to get through the day. I like to write about the ups and downs of parenting. I’m not afraid to tell it like it is. I hope you’ll find something here to laugh, relate to, and maybe even learn from.

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Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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Comments (23)

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  • Seema Patel5 days ago

    Very fun actually. Loved it. Easy to vizualize.

  • Home Alone and getting merry my kind of Christmas Eve

  • Tim Carmichael9 days ago

    This is so clever and entertaining, and I love how you turned all that holiday stress into something that made me laugh out loud.

  • Cryptic Edwards10 days ago

    I know I have been a bit absent from vocal, I love this I'm sure he had a magical Christmas. Such depth in this peace and rhyme of it brilliant Sandy.

  • Latisha Fairfull11 days ago

    This is so funny, rhythmic and true lol. "Mums" the real Santa haha.

  • RAOM12 days ago

    A nice depiction, with verses, of an interesting and pleasant festive adventure of a mum for everyone.

  • Imola Tóth14 days ago

    I always pretend the box was small.... I love the rhymes. The whole poem actually, it flows with ease with the vibe of the whole day as it is.

  • Thomas Terry16 days ago

    I love this spin so much! Hope you had a very merry Christmas!

  • Rachel Robbins16 days ago

    I hope you had a Merry Christmas. Especially after all that effort. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  • Aarsh Malik16 days ago

    Your nod to Twas the Night Before Christmas is clever without being heavy handed. It keeps the piece playful while letting the reality shine through.

  • Love it! 🤣I don’T make icing as it slides off the cake… I make Vienna cream. This reminded me of my kids’ silly songs a couple of decades ago… Peter Combe’s “Jeffrey Hill”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzkXrPCXh5k

  • Hahah these lines "and nothing went to plan" sums it all. It hardly does Sandy. Haha. Merry christmas to you and your family have a great one Sandy @Sandy Gillman "

  • Fathi Jalil19 days ago

    I’m so with you on skipping that! This poem is so cute and honestly, lumpy gravy still tastes good with enough gin. Thank you for writing this, it made me feel so much better about my own mess! ❤️

  • Pamela Williams19 days ago

    I appreciated the light-hearted fun while reading. The toddler-mum spin is perfect!

  • Sid Aaron Hirji19 days ago

    Fun poem-very festive and cute

  • This is great!! Fun, fun! I'm sure he will have a blast!💕💗

  • Annie Kapur19 days ago

    This is fantastic mate! I loved the spin you put on it, so much fun and I definitely think the little one will enjoy himself a ton!

  • Sara Wilson19 days ago

    Oh my goodness! This was so fun and cute! Great work and merry Christmas!

  • Sandor Szabo19 days ago

    Hahaha its never enough, is it lol I’m a wee bit tipsy at the moment but I quite liked this. I’m not sure if it’s universal but the “decorations wouldn’t stay on her Christmas cake” particularly resonated with me… not because I’m making a cake this year but because I’m trying a fondant potato recipe hahah I don’t think it’ll be appreciated, but I’m hoping it works with the ER night shift crew

  • Tanya Lei19 days ago

    Your poem gave me some good little giggles, such a fun poem! I loved reading this :)

  • Susan Fourtané 19 days ago

    This is so much fun. :D No box of chocolates is ever big enough.

  • Finishing all the chocolates and pretending it was a small box is something I do all the time, lol. Loved your poem!

  • Tiffany Gordon19 days ago

    Supercute! Merry Christmas Sandy! 💕

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