In the heart of the New Hampshire woods, so, so wide,
364Please respect copyright.PENANArfX1gI7rY0
Where the red maple trees like shadows in silence abide,
364Please respect copyright.PENANA1wohzqi33P
A blizzard blow through the northern night air,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAi8DFnn1XaR
And winter sank deep in the forest's cold stare.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAK9dsPzb17F
One night in December, the forest stood deathly still,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAQxLs0lLPui
There was frost in the air and a couple of icicles upon the hills,
364Please respect copyright.PENANACHFM8ak6mG
The stars, like chilly diamonds, refused to share their heat,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAgvWlapL32q
And lots, and lots, and lots of snow covered our frostbitten feet.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAfufQrxpc71
My girl, Lucy Hambleton, and I, were only seventeen years old and lost,
364Please respect copyright.PENANABmOmRpxQtm
We both wanted to return home to our cozy town at any cost,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAzQOSiUxSj1
The coldness behind our winter jackets knew no bounds,
364Please respect copyright.PENANADk7Xr4F9Jf
And we could feel our feet becoming parts of the chilly ground.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAI8twZocGZ3
Then, among the eerie woods we saw something red,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAmM0GUHzSPL
We rushed towards the sparkle with hope and with dread,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAT5z8YYSP7F
An old man in reddish and white clothes, stood all alone,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAmXatmFuYvP
And his thick beard was as white as a vanilla ice cream cone.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAeXJJN52B8M
He turned with a nod, and his eyes softly glowed,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAq6JkRJy934
Not with fear, but a warmth like the hearth back at home.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAshws3uHkB9
He sighed, “I have lost what I treasure the most”,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAjpdDHiZaZP
“My Christmas sack’s gone, and I need to find it at any cost!”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAU2dc7hCPOb
We looked at each other, then nodded as one,
364Please respect copyright.PENANANeMScxkSHg
“If we help, Lucy said, “will you promise the magic’s not done?”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAOtX9fUnRVU
He smiled through the snowflakes and gave us a grin,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAeWDN0Jq5MC
“If you find what I've lost, the magic begins.”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAdnp1YAV7vW
We headed back into the forest, we searched everywhere
364Please respect copyright.PENANAudZDBDSiwm
We searched under stones, we searched inside a fox lair,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8IzBA1s02
We searched under trees, we searched beneath rocks,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAGX0r0jsC7Z
We even searched behind an empty and abandoned toolbox.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAB8DlOZBCuv
Then, all of sudden, we found what we were looking for!
364Please respect copyright.PENANAB0Vxh7gHB3
The sack was floating inside a lake next to a beachshore!
364Please respect copyright.PENANAaI4vWWKCdS
We jumped into the lake, it was very cold I tell ya,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAR7b2gDFutH
Like some icy wonderland in a children’s fantasy novella.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAwVMvuLMYfZ
But Lucy and I, with our hearts full of cheer,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAMCTMu0HucC
Swam through the dark with the sack drawing near.
364Please respect copyright.PENANARWgVJmACAg
We climbed from the lake, soaked, shivering, stunned,
364Please respect copyright.PENANASV8wTLn2wr
Yet smiling because we'd done what we’d done,
364Please respect copyright.PENANA5E8cYB1avM
We carried the sack back through pine, snow, and stone,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAPrxjc5wmFa
And there stood the old man, still waiting alone.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAceUlbCEGuL
When he saw the red bundle, he lit up with glee,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAPaRx3Qop39
Clapped his white gloves and said, “You’ve rescued Christmas for me!”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAWD1COuLd51
He opened the sack just to be sure it was true,
364Please respect copyright.PENANA38FpLAixNn
Then hugged us both tightly and whispered, “Thank you.”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAZaetEAmaWT
From the woods came a rustle, a shimmer, a sound,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAYxeR0Akq8A
Dasher and Prancer descended, their hooves off the ground,
364Please respect copyright.PENANA0OYlQXNLMG
They bowed to old Santa and nuzzled his hand,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAYvgbreVn4c
Then turned to face us like they’d known the plan.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAWcbQKXCNoF
“These two will guide you, they know the way home.
364Please respect copyright.PENANA4DiuEuAm9m
They fly better than maps or a digital Iphone!”
364Please respect copyright.PENANAQz9Cdp8IAt
We climbed on their backs, still dripping and cold,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAT8wdHSO82a
But the sky opened wide, like a painting of old.
364Please respect copyright.PENANApV56bZg0rb
Through clouds we did soar, through wind sharp as glass,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAZFIc666K4y
Past moonbeams and starlight, they carried us fast.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAA0bxqdjnCw
The trees fell away, and our fears did too,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAUCol77DyH0
As the reindeer flew under a sky painted blue.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAgGi9Aqsv2b
But before they had gone, they dropped something neat,
364Please respect copyright.PENANADPQlnOvv7n
Two small wooden boxes, tied up so sweet.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAFehvmWR3kN
Inside each was nestled a gift wrapped in gold,
364Please respect copyright.PENANA5oAT060WJS
With a note that read: "For the brave and the bold."
364Please respect copyright.PENANAOPOeowbYCW
Lucy unwrapped hers and gasped with delight,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAdBjkOLOMEQ
And mine sparkled bright in the pale morning light.
364Please respect copyright.PENANA6kqa8xIXSr
Inside, not a toy, nor a treat, nor a card game,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAZxDwdfnZDO
But a magical map, marked with Santa’s name.
364Please respect copyright.PENANA5z9K9mWR2C
It shimmered with stars and showed one glowing track,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAWgvnHTR8WW
From our town to the North Pole and then safely back.
364Please respect copyright.PENANAc9SJoUTtJK
With sleigh routes and candy cane trails on display,
364Please respect copyright.PENANAM9PVlhZ2pe
It sang to us, "You're both welcome to visit someday.364Please respect copyright.PENANAQIAGFZgvG0


