My Griswold Christmas

My Griswold Christmas 

My husband and I were settled in, watching television on a cold winter's night. All was quiet in the house. The light's were dim and it was quite cozy.
Both of us were close to dozing.
When suddenly we heard a noise near the fireplace. We had no idea what it might be.
I turned on the lights so that we could see.
"Oh no! It's a rat on the fireplace mantel!" I said!
"A rat!" No way! my husband said, somewhat dismayed.
All I saw was this head facing me, but as it moved I could see, the tail of a squirrel, how could this be?
"It's a squirrel!" Not a rat!" I said with my mouth opened wide.
A squirrel, I thought, really, in the house, inside?
It was scared. We were shocked. Then it ran behind the mirror, no, no, not there!
For in front of the mirror was my beautiful nativity scene.
I knew if the mirror fell,
down goes Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the angel...
What could we do? Nothing, if we tried went any closer, for sure the squirrel would make it all fall.
There was nothing we could do, nothing at all!
So I said, well let's just go to bed.
We closed the bedroom door,
with a sigh and dread.
As the sun came up, we could hear a terrible crash in the living room,
I got up from bed and slowly opened the door.
There they were, the whole nativity scene, lying on the floor.
Gently I picked them up, Mary and Joseph were fine.
Little Jesus, his manger was broken,
an arm of my angel was broken, too.
I wrapped them up in paper, hoping the broken pieces could be put together, oh, I hope so, with super glue.
Wait, where's the squirrel, what happened, where did he go? I have to find him, I have to know!
Just then I heard something in a box I had left in the dining room, oh great, now what should I do!
I know, I'll open the dining room door to the deck,
he should just go,
it's worth a try, what the heck!
His head pops up, he looks around,
I am quiet, not making a sound.
Instead of running for the door,
He runs up the curtains, I can't take much more!
Swinging, jumping from one curtain, running on top,
Gee, this idea is a flop!
Whee, there he goes again,
Come on squirrel, I am trying to set you free!
I reach up, taking two curtains down,
Maybe now he'll see the open door,
He jumps and lands on the floor!
Finally, his eyes light up and he runs,
He is free, well, both him and me!
I am so tired,
Yet, so wired.
The fire mantel is now bare,
I don't want anything there.
I get a cup of coffee and smile,
Suddenly I think of the Griswolds,
with the squirrel in the Christmas tree,
I begin to laugh, really laugh,
I haven't done that in a while.
Squirrels in the trees outdoors
have always made me smile,
Yes, they still do,
I am glad the squirrel, I now call Griswald,
is out there, free.
Now when I see squirrels in my yard and in
trees,
I wonder, is that Griswold?
And I laugh, well, it just might be!

Marjorie Farrington 1/12/2016 ©