By Deborah Dyer, director, Bar Harbor Historical Society
“Christmas Greetings” by A. Haymaker
Santa, it’s hard to “take me pen in hand”
Still aching from the cruel scar across a well-loved land
Yet from the empty hearth stones there must rise
Our song of welcome to the wintry skies,
And hearts must leave their heaviness behind
When gazing at your jovial face so kind.
Therefore, fat and jolly Saint,
Bring us timber, concrete, paint,
Bathtubs, bowls, “et ceteras”
Piping, furnaces and cars.
Clapboards, nails and saws and shingles
And all the family of Kringles
To build our new house and a new chimney
To fit your girth with ease, by jimminy.
Hang bright garlands on the eaves
Of every Abbott, Libby, Cleaves,
MacLeod, McGarr, MacPike, MacQuinn
McKay and Minot Milliken
Let there be no dearth of Gin
For DeWitt Poole and William Proctor
And for each hard working Doctor.
Potter, Parsons, Peach and Pray
Gott, Gordon,Gooch and Gray
Miller, Morangm Murch and May
For Lowell Jordan and Jack Burke
For Thomas Sweeney and Blanche Sturk
Light a candle tall and red
For Jellison, Fount,and Jellison, Fred
For the Brownings, “Dougie” and Ted
For Louise Leland, Robert Lee
For Harry Johnson and Bell Gurnee
For Mrs. Dorrance and Doc Fur-fey.
Loudly sound each gay bell ringer
For Brewer, Malcolm and Brewer “Dinger”
For Norman Shaw and Frank Springer
And the old Yale guard, Pudge Hefflfinger.
Sound a special tuneful chime
For the clerks at the “Five and Dime.”
So the happy Brownies hop
For Shirley Bunker and Harry Copp
Billy Burton and Russell Crane
John Parascan and Carl B. Paine
Burr, Maurice & Burr, Jane.
See them caper ‘round the tree
For McLean,Harris and Ells, John B.
For Foster,Vesta and Foster, G.
For Carter, Alton R. and E.
For Hanson and Hamor and Hagerthy
Santa, shake the rotund belly
With mirth for the Leonards, C and Nellie
Runner, Preble, Norton Perry
Higgins, Ambrose, Charles and Jerry
Cecil, Edgar, Ruth Luray
Elliott, Myrtle and Archie A.
Fill a stocking bright and early
For the Haradens, Sylvia and Shirley
For Mrs.Bray and Charlie Shea
Also for Eddie,Teddie and Mae,
For Alton Jewett and Nellie Dodge
And the ghost of old Sir Oliver Lodge.
A long and potent “Cherrio”
For Coach Mansfield and “Jersey Joe”
For Coach Kus and Tullio
For Frank Clark and Clark O.
For Howe Smith and Hollis Rowe
“Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men”
To the Hadleys, Mary & Ben
And of joy an awful lot
To the gang at the Lobster Pot
To Bob Kinney, Spencer, “Pinney”
To ladies fat and ladies skinny.
Good luck to Alonzo Tuck
And good luck too, to Adele Muncu
A toast in rum to John Whit-comb
And in ale to Foley, Dale
One in stout to Carrie Strout
One in sherry to George Berry
Santa, fill-well one for Cliff Stillwell
Be sure to brew it for Arthur Jewett
“Happy Days” to Capt. Hayes
“Allah Kazam” to R. Cunningham
“Sweet Adeline” to Father Divine,
And to every Lion here’s “Auld Lang Syne.”
From the roast pig a goodly feast
For Asa Wasgatt, Wholean, West.
And a slice of the very best
For Mrs. Conners and Esther West
Light the gay and festive yule
For all the kids that go to school,
Brightly let it snap and kindle
For Morris, Ted and Gertrude Grindle.
Give a good gift from out the grab-
Bag to each one at the Lab.
A candy stick to George Renwick
To J. Schwartz and all the Walls
To Eleanor Mellon and all the Halls
To the boys that shoot the basketballs.
A sprig from the festive Mistletoe
Grace doorway of A. Shiro
Of Kebo Club and Phil’s Radio
Of Asa Hodgkins and Doyle, Joe.
To all my friends, both female and male,
Bring good cheer and plenty of kale
And shelter if stormy winds do wail.
And may each grim political pest
Find sedatives to give him rest
So that true peace already late
May greet your coming in ‘48.
Editor’s Note: This poem appeared in the Bar Harbor Times a few weeks after the fire that burned much of the eastern part of Mount Desert Island.
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