I know that Christmas is long gone—a memory;
But something happened then that’s still dumbfounding me.
My daughter had become a problem months before,
And every day since then had been a constant war.
It seemed that nothing that we tried did any good;
And, believe me, we did everything we could.
But I was forced to take her with me on that day
Perhaps a week or so before the holiday.
She soon had me so worn out, I was in ears;
Her disposition had been all of my worst fears.
I took her to see Santa, just to get a break;
I did not know what else to do, for Heaven’s sake.
She tried to throw a tantrum—I stubbornly prevailed.
In truth, I felt that, as a parent, I had failed.
Of course, when seated, her first act was what I feared—
With seemingly delight, she pulled on Santa’s beard!
The beard turned out to be a real one—a surprise;
But then a miracle took place before my eyes.
For Santa took it all in stride, and even smiled;
I marveled at his tact with that precocious child.
What happened next still stuns me, as I watched her fare,
A miracle of miracles was taking place.
Whatever he was saying must have hit a chord,
For at that instant they were both of one accord.
The reason I am writing this is the best part;
We have our loving daughter back, with open heart.
She’s been an absolute delight, from then to now;
To that one messenger of God, we humbly bow!
© Richard Williams