| Santa comes quietly long before dawn |
| While shops are still busy and lights are still on |
| While dinners are cooking and kitchens are warm |
| And children count presents they'll open by morn. |
| He slips past the trees in windows aglow |
| Through the gate to the backyard |
| As icy winds blow |
| To find the pup he brought last year |
| Chained up in the snow |
| And, kneeling, he whispers, |
| "Are you ready to go?" |
| There are too many stops like this one tonight |
| Before the beginning of his regular flight |
| He leaves not a note or a footprint in sight |
| Just an unbuckled collar |
| On a cold Christmas night . . . |