Congratulations to Libby Price in 11A. She won the Winter Writing Competition at the end of last term. The competition was part of the Multicultural day event, held by the Inclusion department for Secondary students. Well done, Libby!
Here is Libby's story.
Twas the Night Before Christmas
It was the 24th December, a date which you must remember.
A man dressed in red runs around whilst children are in bed.
Leaves them presents ever so nice, made in a world of ice.
And all he asks in return, and what he does yearn,
Is a mince pie, just one, before he says goodbye.
Just before Christmas Eve, he wiped his nose on his sleeve.
He readied himself for the gifts he’d take, altering his map to avoid the lake.
Alas, on this night of charm and cheer, Santa had one too many beers!
Sitting at home, with logs on the fire, the man had begun to tire.
‘Just resting my eyes,’ he assured himself. He left his alarm clock with an elf.
It was the night before Christmas, and Santa had unfinished business.
All throughout every single home, children began to sob and moan.
‘Where are our presents? Has Santa been? ‘could only be heard – what a scene!
Unfortunately for them, there was a fact they didn’t know. They felt low.
Santa had overslept! And though they didn’t know this, the children wept!
It was now Christmas day, but for Santa they’d have to pray,
He was late, parents said, he’d come at a later date,
But they were worried too; how could he forget their new shoes?
Back at home, Santa was distraught. How could he deal with the sadness he’d wrought?
Roused by Mrs. Claus, he felt like he’s broken all the laws.
‘Christmas come once a year, you should not fear,’
But her words only worsened his feel. With his own mistakes he would deal.
Rushing about at a faster pace than usual, normally Santa was unmovable.
However, today he was on a mission, not just to reduce carbon emissions!
Into his sleigh he climbed, ready to work – he was primed.
Dashing through the snow, with reindeer guiding – ‘Heave-ho!’
Dasher and Dancer flew through the sky, climbing high.
Prancer and Vixen, carrying on, swore they’d never flown for so long!
Comet and Cupid, travelling the air, made rude remarks about someone’s hair.
Donna and Blitzen, usually up to no good, worked twice as hard as they could.
Rudolph led the way, nose bright and shining on this cold winter day.
Santa in the sky pulled a lot of sick tricks, like a figure of eight and a full 360-flip.
The reindeer urged him to stop but he certainly did not!
Soon enough Santa encountered trouble, after a backflip he’d tried to double.
It came in the form of a tree branch, and nearly caused an avalanche.
In a busy little town, Santa began to frown.
Landing heavily on the floor, Santa felt very sore.
In fact, he didn’t stir at all, not even to bawl.
The reindeer didn’t know what to do….so formed a queue.
A plan they hatched together, and then gathered up their reins of leather.
With eager hooves, and smooth moves,
The deer began to act, enthusiasm they didn’t lack!
Back and forth, they moved their hips, strange words formed at their lips.
As they sang and danced and twirled, something strange happened in the world.
They began to dance quicker, moving so fast they did flicker,
Coins were tossed their way as they began to sway,
One pound, two pence, five coins more – soon they had filled the floor
On the floor, a hat they laid to collect their pay.
Soon, they had enough funds, too much to hold in even the biggest of thumbs.
It took all of them to transport the cash, all of them felt very flash.
One by one they entered a shop, quick as a bunny does hop.
They selected the ware they wanted, and left quite affronted!
In the spirit of Christmas cheer, surely they had discount here?!
Nevertheless, they found the one not feeling the best.
Now, as you may already know, Santa’s usually quite slow,
But with a pastry incentive, which the reindeer found very inventive.
Santa shot up like a greyhound, with a mouth most profound,
And ate the pastry in three quick bites. He said it was quite a delight.
Filled with the magic of winter, snow began to fall hither.
The reindeer smiled with glee: their plan working they could see.
Santa began to rise, filled with the power of mince pies.
‘off we go, boys!’ he said with quite a noise
Then added ‘Come on, Donna, trot!’ as an afterthought.
Off the merry group traversed, leaping into action headfirst.
One by one, they distributed presents, careful not to circumvent.
‘One for you, two for me’ they sang at passing Year Threes.
With a quickened pace, they turned it into a race,
Soon enough, the streets were full, and everyone felt that they did rule.
After a tiring day of getting things done, and when the games were said and won,
With a little link and a saucy wave, all were pleased with what they saved.
Although it was done in midday sun, they did have a lot of fun,
And yes, it was a little late, but now they were glad they did wait.
For Santa got to see the effect; that no-one was deject,
Thanks to his marvellous late-night shifts, everyone got their gifts!
Normally he’d stay at the North Pole and wonder, what happened when gifts were sundered,
What the children thought of it, even though he didn’t mind thank-you letters one bit,
This Christmas, he saw first-hand, the joy spread across the land.