Every Christmas season the Womens Chorus of Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University) would present it’s Christmas production,in the beautiful auditorium of Old Main, under the able directorship of Virginia (Ginny) Irwin. It was always a wonderful of sacred and secular seasonal favorites and a community wide delight.
My father bought a Wollensach Reel to Reel sterio recorder and an Audiovox record cutter. Annually he recorded College musical programs an sold record to families. This, coupled with the fact that that I was a music major, and required to attend a certain compliment of performances, afforded me tge opportunity to hear all the choral performances and in some cases learn particular pieces by heart. Embossed on my heart is the following poem that was read by a student while the women sag Jingle Bells in the background.
T’was the night before Christmas
In Texas, you know,
Way out on the prairie
(Without any snow).
Asleep in their cabin
Were Buddy and Sue,
A-dream’ of Christmas
Like me and like you.
Not stockings, but boots,
At the foot of their bed
For this was in Texas,
What more need be said
When all of a sudden
From out the still night,
There came such a ruckus
It gave me a fright!
And I saw ‘cross the prairie
Like a shot from a gun,
A loaded-up buckboard
Come on at a run.
The driver was “Geein”,
And ‘hawin’, with a will.
The hosses (not reindeer)
He drove with such skill.
“Come on there, Buck, Pancho
And Prince, to the right!
There’ll be plenty of travelin’
For you-all tonight.”
The driver in Levi’s
And shirt that was red,
Had a ten-gallon Stetson
On top of his head.
As he stepped from the buckboard
He was really a sight
With his beard and moustaches
So curly and white.
As he burst in the cabin
The children awoke,
And both so astonished
That neither one spoke.
And he filled up their boots
With such presents galore
That neither could think
Of a single thing more.
When Buddy recovered
The use of his jaws,
He asked, in a whisper
“Are you Santa Clause?”
Am I the REAL Santa?
Well, what do you think?”
And he smiled as he gave
A mysterious wink.
Then he leapt in his buckboard,
And called back, in his drawl,
“To all children of TEXAS,
MERRY CHRISTMAS, All Y’all!”
Copyright © 1998 – 2015 – R. McSpadden
Posted from WordPress for Android
Pilgrim Cafe 
Leave a Reply