Memorable Passage

 

Santa and the Reindeer

 

"This is about the hour," said Santa Clause

"The bells ring merrily."

Then on his back he slung his pack

And into the sleigh climbed he.

 

"On, Dancer! On, Prancer! On, Donner and Blitzen!

On, Comet and Cupid!" cried he.

And all the reindeers leaped but one,

And that one stood silently.

 

He had pulled the sleigh for a thousand years,

And never a word spoke he.

Now he stood in the snow, and he whispered low-

"Oh what do you have for me?"

 

"I have games and toys for girls and boys."

Said Santa cheerily.

The reindeer stood as if made of wood-

"But what do you have for me?"

 

"The socks are hung, the bells are rung!"

Cried Santa desperately.

The reindeer winked at a falling star-

"But what do you have for me?"

 

Then Santa reached into his beard,

And he found a tiny flea.

And he put it into the reindeer's ear,

And the reindeer said, "For me? Oh gee!"

 

And into the blue away they flew,

Away they flew with the flea.

And the moral of this yuletide tale

You know as well as me.

 

 

When I was little, I read through most of the stories in Where the Sidewalk Ends, but I think most of the time- if someone wasn't reading it to me- I was more interested in the pictures than the stories. There are several dozen stories in the book, but this one, along with a few others, is one I remember most. I'm sure that when I was little I knew what a flea was, but I don't know that I quite understood the ending. Being older now, it's interesting to go back to things you knew as a little kid, and understand the actual meaning behind things you never gave a second thought to. Plus, it's a story about Santa Claus, and what little kid doesn't like Santa?