Among the 31(!) Christmas Grab we’re shipping out today, we got this fun retake of the classic, A Night Before Christmas. It is done for the ‘Burbs of Rifts Earth and springs from the imagination of Daniel Howard, in Sterling Heights, Michigan. We got such a kick out of it, I thought I’d share it with the rest of you. So here it is, with a few little changes, that should give you a smile that stretches your cheeks.
– Kevin Siembieda
T’was the Night Before Christmas and all through the ‘Burbs, not a D-Bee dared stir, not even the Wyrms.
Stockings were hung by the chimney with care, after all, they were socks they would later need wear.
The children were all snug in their warm little beds, thankful Emperor Prosek kept away the undead.
And mom in her kerchief and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter nap.
When out in the back, there arose such a clatter, I grabbed my Wilk’s rifle and went to see what’s the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash, quietly opening the shutters and sash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a rune covered sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
The little old driver, so lively and well, I thought for a moment it must be a spell.
More rapid than Juicers his chorus rang out, as he whistled and chanted, and called them about: “Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
Just as Dead Boys scurry when Deaths Heads fly, so did the sleigh fly into the sky. Up to the house-top that TW Sleigh flew, with a cargo of bags and the driver in tow.
And then in a twinkle, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I racked my laser rifle and was turning around, down the chimney the D-Bee did bound.
He was dressed in red clothing all trimmed out in fur, all covered in ashes and soot from the flue.
As the round little Techno-Wizard opened his sack, I realized that magic swirled in that pack.
His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples how merry. His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn like a bow, and the beard of his chin was white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad smiling face and a round, round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a Slurmph, but not smelly.
He was so chubby and plump, a Krak or a Flooper I thought he might be, definitely not a Splugorth or some menacing D-Bee.
I laughed when I saw him, in spite of the intrusion, and a wink of his eye and the curl of a smile, soon let me know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, magically filling all stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team, gave a whistle, and away they all flew like a Coalition missile.
But I heard him exclaim, as SAMAS chased him from sight, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
*********
Thank Dan for the cool holiday poem (hope you don’t mind a few tweaks of my own).
Happy holidays to Dan, his gaming group and all of our friends, fans and gamers around the globe. Keep those imaginations burning bright, and hold your loved ones warm and tight.
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Artist and Ninth Level Santa
© Copyright December 13, 2007, Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, and Coalition Wars® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. 'Burbs, Chi-Town, Juicers, Slurmph, SAMAS, Emperor Prosek, Techno-Wizard, and other names, titles, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc.