With Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all the folks from the Ville

Were jamming the aisles up at Indian Hill

Baskets and shopping carts were loaded with eats

As the locals prepared for their holiday feasts

They bought turkeys and hams, eggnog and wine

All the while thinking “Gosh, look at the time!

Get out of here fast—hurry, be quick!

Gotta get home to welcome Saint Nick”

When from the frozen food aisle there arose such a clatter

People stopped in their tracks and wondered what was the matter

A great tumbling crash could be heard all around

Not even the Muzak could drown out the sound

There, in the stark glow of fluorescent light

Four children, heads down, stood looking affright

As their mother, displeased, and eyes open wide

Stared at their cart, which lay on its side

The little kids, playing, had toppled the thing

Sending their food through the air with a fling

“Well, this is unfortunate,” the mother opined

As a voice overhead said, “Cleanup, aisle 9”

Apples and onions rolled this way and that

Two dozen eggs hit the floor with a splat

A jar of molasses had turned to a puddle

Their holiday meal, just a pile of rubble

An employee arrived with a broom and a mop

“You’ll need a shovel,” said the mother, “to clean up this slop”

“Not to worry,” replied the clerk, “it’s totally fine”

“This sort of thing happens all of the time”

“Grab another cart,” offered the clerk with a smile

“It’s only five-thirty; we’ll be open a while”

So, the woman and her children restarted their shopping

They zigged and they zagged; the store was still hopping

Into their new cart they tossed turnips and peas

Garlic, taters, and extra sharp cheese

Butter, a turkey, two pies and some bread

The white was sold out, they grabbed whole wheat instead

They snagged pickles and carrots, lettuce and chives

Roasted red peppers and a bag of endives

Candy canes, chocolates, and hot cocoa, too

The cart looked like a mountain by the time they were through

“Well hello everybody,” exclaimed the cashier

She wore a bright elfish hat and was full of good cheer

“Visiting for the holiday? Never seen you around”

“We’re new here,” said the mother. “We just moved to town”

Upon hearing the grand total, the mom said, “Sounds good”

But her debit card failed to work as it should

“That’s very odd,” she said, with a disheartened groan

“I know there’s money in there,” and she took out her phone

She scrolled and pressed buttons and eyed her account

And what she saw on the screen made her cry out

“Oh my gosh, no,” she lamented, eyes filling with tears

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” asked the children with fear

The single mother of four had been saving since May

To give her two boys and two girls a good Christmas day

“Something happened,” she told them, her mind filling with dread

Where there should have been money, there were zeroes instead

They all stepped aside, and the mom placed a call

To a bank rep who offered no good news at all

“I’m sorry,” said the rep, “it appears you’ve been hacked

Both checking and savings, it seems, were attacked”

The mother was crushed, the children all sad

They’d had tough holidays before, but never this bad

“Well kids,” said the mom, grabbing one of their sacks

“Let’s return to the aisles and put this stuff back”

Behind her, a large group of shoppers stood waiting in line

Not one of them, though, still cared about the time

With heavy, heavy hearts, they’d watched the sad scene unfold

And together, they wrote this story that deserves to be told:

From that long line of customers stepped a wiry old man

Who placed a fifty-dollar bill in that young woman’s hand

Then a second person came forward and gave the same to the mother

Then a third, and a fourth, and another, and another…

All of those customers, the store clerks, and the manager, too

Kept that young family’s Christmas from turning out blue

“I don’t understand,” said the mom, and she started to bawl

“We’re new here,” she cried, “none of you knows us at all”

The manager stepped forward. Like Saint Nick he was dressed

He spoke not just for himself, but for all of the rest

“When you live in this town,” he said, smiling, “You’re never alone

Merry Christmas to you all. And to you all, welcome home”