A Christmas Past

While sitting here working, I've been listening to Mannheim Steamroller's new Christmas CD. It's put me in the mood to give you another poem from a Christmas past by Hildred Lewis, who was a library staff member. She would write a poem to deliver at the staff Christmas party that chronicled the events at the library for the year. So, here 'tis for 1971.

The Week Before Christmas 1971

'Tis the week before Christmas and all through the library
The staff is happy, cheerful and merry.
It's the day of the party, an annual event,
And if you've been here before, you know what is meant.

The table is groaning with turkey and the trimmings,
You know what that'll do to the girls who are slimming.
And salads, cakes, pies and rich things like that
Will keep the rest of us happy and fat.

We welcome four staff members who are new,
Hewlette, Loyas, Lynn and Valerie, too.
And we have had weddings galore,
One, two, three and then four.

Mrs. Schinkel will spend Christmas with Emily and the boys,
I know she'll enjoy it inspite of the noise.
I'm happy to report that the McKees
Made their annual visit to look at the leaves.

We had some sadness in the library this year.
We lost Elvera, a friend who was dear.
And Bill Aycock has been indisposed,
But in a family this large, that's how it goes.

The vacation reading club was quite a success,
And moving the Branch was surely a mess.
And to all the Bookmobile girls,
Vacation reading club causes some whirls.

To Elois this would be good news,
If the library would send no more overdues.
I've heard a rumor, I do declare,
Margaret and Amy will get dentures next year.

In spite of Mary's head, Catherine's luck, Hildred's skin,
We're a pretty good group for the shape we're in.
With apologies to Clement C. Moore,
Merry Christmas to all, and many, many more!

Just imagine, that poem is 36 years old and lots of it still applies today to the library staff. We're going to have our staff party this year on the 20th, the day after we close. Wonder who I can find to come up with a poem about 2007's library events? I'd better go check. . .