Twas the night before Christmas, in the country of Laos 

Little creatures were stirring, from gecko to mouse

The stockings were hung by the window with care

Who would’ve thought there would be such a scare

Santa was coming in pearl and red

From the North Pole they traveled and to Pakse they sped 

The presents were held in a bag with a strap

Santa had never been to this place on the map

When out in the living room there was such a clatter 

And when I rose I heard a window shatter

Away to the window I flew like a flash

To see what thing had caused the crash

The moon showing on the new fallen leaves

Showed that I wasn’t the only one up on this eve 

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a beaten up sleigh and eight injured reindeer

With a disheveled driver still lively and quick

I new in a moment this must be Saint Nick

The extra warm weather made Santa aghast

In Santa’s distraction he made the sleigh crash

“Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!

They flopped on the porch and knocked down the wall!

The weather was too warm to fly in at all

As leaves in dry season in wild wind fly

When they meet with an obstacle blow it sky high

So up to the housetop a the coursers they flew 

With sleigh full of scratches, and Santa Claus too!

And then on the roof, I heard in a twinkling

The sleigh making every clay tile go tinkling

Then at this surprise, Santa was mad

There were no chimneys here to be had 

Then he did the thing most unappealing 

He used his sack to smash a hole through the ceiling 

He stood in the living room, toys on his back

He had a bruise on his shoulder and one eye was black

His eyes–how they simmered it was too hot in this place

The lack of a chimney had made him lose face

His droll little mouth was drawn up in a frown

There was no snow here, it was all drab and brown

The opened his pack and drew out a present

This stop was very far from pleasant 

 He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he tripped on a bowl of coconut jelly;

He was angry and bruised, a right grumpy old elf

And I laughed when he tripped, in spite of myself

A squint of his eye and a twist of his head,

Gave me to know he was embarrassed instead

He spoke some choice words, and continued his work,

Then filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And shaking his fists and stubbing his toes 

And jumping and squirming through the roof hole he rose

He limped to his sleigh, to his team grunted “GIT!”,

And away they all flew in a sulky mad fit.

And I heard him exclaim, ere he plopped out of sight,

THAT WAS MY LAST STOP! I GO TO RETIRE 

I didn’t hear the rest because then he hit a telephone wire.

The End.