The Christmas Tree Fiasco

A little Christmas poem for you. (Homework from my writing group)

The Christmas Tree Fiasco

Christmas time was nearing yet the house was looking bare,
time to buy the Christmas tree and place over there.
A real one was requested, with that lovely smell of pine,
once dressed in lots of baubles it would look just so divine.

So be it, a tree was purchased.

Each trinket was befitting so elegant with flair,
nothing cheap or vulgar chucked on without much care.
Diligence and precision were what was needed now,
the art of decoration to give that certain wow!

Painstaking triumph.

The children were excited to see the flashing lights,
everywhere just twinkled, a truly festive sight.
Friends came round this evening for drinks and hot mince pies,
and the tree looked so resplendent, a feast for any eyes.

Time to retire to bed,

The guest had headed home now, and children were asleep,
their parents headed up to bed, collapsing in a heap.
Now what they hadn’t banked on was the dog and cat downstairs,
both were sleeping in their beds behind the comfy chairs.

That spells trouble.

Cat checked out the baubles and scaled up there to see,
the fairy wobbled back and forth quite precariously.
Dog knocked off the trinkets and chased them around the room,
occasionally stopping for a rest before he reassumed.

This is now looking bad.

The tree was now in jeopardy of crashing to the ground,
embellishments and fairy lights scattered all around.
Even the crossed- eyed fairy was laying on the floor,
what was once a work of art, just wasn’t anymore.

Oh Goodness!

Then came the true finale the climax of their spree,
a knackered fir in many bits, that was once a Christmas tree.
The cat was in the middle and the dog was underneath,
all you saw were many rows of nice white shiny teeth.

This, spells trouble.

The crash was quite phenomenal, as it echoed round the house,
followed by a silent pause, as quiet as any mouse.
Cat fled the crime scene and crept outside the door,
the dog went back to his warm bed and went to sleep once more.

What about the tree?

The tree now reassembled, standing tall once more,
all lights are fully working, twinkling like before.
the cross-eyed fairy beyond repair, she’s sadly gone to waste,
no longer perched atop the tree, removed and now replaced.

And the cat and dog?

The cat and dog have been absolved, it’s Christmas time you see,
occasionally you’ll see them stare, tempted by the tree.
The couple are secretly pleased of the cross-eyed fairy’s fate,
their children loved the threadbare doll despite her dreadful state.

Please don’t worry, she is being upcycled, curtesy of the children!

Happy Christmas

ⓒ Teresa Harrison-Best
December 2023