Michael Collins - The Jolly Old Fellow Got Stuck In The Chimney

The Jolly Old Fellow got stuck in the chimney:

but it was Christmas morning, so it was all just very funny.

Still, it was 'uncomfortable'. And although the children were laughing,

as far as he, Santa, (a.k.a. Dad) was concerned... it kinda sucked...

He was certainly running fast out of Ho, Ho, Hoes...

And the soot did not help his smoker's cough.

"let's light a fire under Santa", suggested one of the more creative kiddies.

It was 'little Johnny'... Of course... Who else?

neither of his sweet, pink-attired sisters would have thought

to do such a thing. The muffled voice in the chimney coughed down:

"You wait till your Father gets home... Cough... Cough..."

However, Johnny was older and wiser than Kate and Sandra, the seven year old twinies...

(Johnny was a few other things as well... And though ten years old, had not fully made it past

the terrible twos).

He 'knew the score': it was Chimney 1, Santa 0...

Actually, thought Margaret, [the long suffering wife of Santa and his relentlessly

boring jibes, which he, laughingly (or not so laughingly) called 'witticisms...],

maybe Johhny is on to something there? A quick phone call and she was back in the room,

gazing at 'stuck Santa'. As he was now formally known.

"Ok, girls... Off to Jenny's house... Go play with your little friends next door...

They happily began the trek to Jenny's... (Including Johnny, who considered himself

'one of the girls' when it came to visiting Becca and Phoebe...)

'Not you, Johnny... We got work to do... "

Now Santa may not have been able to talk too well... But he could hear... And listen, he did...

And he was becoming concerned... More that moderately agitated, if the truth be known..

He wanted to shout and scream... But nothing he did would allow him to form meaningful sentences.

He was panicking... Still... In his heart he knew that all would be fine in the end...

It was Christmas, after all...

"What do you want me to do, Mum?" inquired Johnny... Innocently...

"Collect sticks, kiddo... Collect sticks"...