T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the casa
Not a creature was stirring. ¡Caramba! ¿Que pasa?
Los niños were all tucked away in their camas,
Some in camisas y some in pijamas.
Santa está at the corner saloon
muy borracho since mid afternoon.
shining her rolling pin, para mañana.
The stockings were hung con mucho cuidado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all the niños, both buenos y malos
A nice bunch of dulces and other regalos.
Outside in the yard, there arose such a grito,
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think it era?
Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh, instead of venados,
Were eight little burros, approaching volados.
I watched as they came, and this quaint little hombre
was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre
"Ay, Pancho! Ay, Pepe! Ay, Cuca! Ay, Beto!
Ay, Chato! Ay, Chuchi! Maruca y Nieto!"
Then, standing erect with his hand on his pecho,
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl full of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our own chimenea.
The huffing and puffing, at last to our sala
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos,
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming muy contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim--and this is verdad,
"Merry Christmas a todos! ¡Feliz Navidad!"