How It All Began

‘Twas the night before Christmas, 1963,
The children were nestled as snug as could be.

The last preparations of Christmas were done,
Just as the clock was about to strike one.

Mom and Dad Palmer, no gifts left to wrap,
Were finally ready for their long winter’s nap.

But Dad knew better, he’d been there before;
He knew that his children would wake around four.

How could he keep those rascals asleep?
Was there more he could do,
To ensure his sweet snooze?

So he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore,
Then dad thought of something he hadn’t before!

What could he do to prolong this sweet nap?
He’d set up the most clever trick of a trap!

He went straight to the garage and gathered supplies,
A tarp and a hammer, a few nails and some ties.

Then out to the lawn he went with his tools,
To cover the windows and trick his sweet ‘fools.’

Then back in the house he crept like a cat,
And found a few clocks and set them two hours back.

Off to his bed to sleep like a baby.
Would his plan work? Maybe, just maybe.

Worked, how it worked! They stayed in their room.
"Its dark, Santa's not come," they assumed. 

And so it was born, the first Christmas trap.
A plan that ensured their long winter's nap.

So now every Christmas, while they are asleep,
Their children are stirring but not making a peep.

The tricks have become trickier.
The traps more complex.
But it’s been 50 years,
And the tradition’s still here!