T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the barn,
All the creatures were sleeping, all safe, snug and warm.

The feed pails were hung by the stall doors with care,
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The ponies were nestled all warm in their beds,
While visions of carrot cakes danced through their heads.

The Arabs, the Thoroughbreds and even the Apps,
The jumpers and hunters were all taking naps.

When out in the paddock there arose such a clatter
I awoke in my stall , to see what was the matter.

I moved to the window quick as I could
To see where the noise came from, if I could.

The sight I beheld as I gazed out that night
Was a beautiful horse All whiter than white.

He wore a red blanket so nice to behold,
His hooves how they sparkled all glittery-gold.

With swift certain motions to our barn he came,
and silvery moonlight danced from his mane.

More rapid than racers his hoof beats they came,
And he neighed and he snorted and called us by name.

He was our Christmas, a ghost-horse of white,
Who has come to all horses, since that one special night.

A gallant example Who served man so well,
Especially those with whom A baby did dwell.

For those special horses who shared stable and stall,
To give comfort and warmth to the Saviour of us all.

Now thinking of them, he entered the door,
To distribute among us his gifts and more.

Down the aisle he came, his hoof beats so light,
And he stopped by each stall in our stable that night.

Gifts he did give to all in our barn,
More heart or more courage, or to be free from harm.

He spoke not a word but went straight to his work,
And he filled all the feed pails then turned with a jerk.

And nickering softly on gold hooves so bright,
And giving a nod he went into the night.

and I heard him neigh as he went out of sight,
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Ni-i-i-i-ight!

A Merry Xmas and safe & prosperous New Year to all the Forum Family! :wink:


_________________
May the luck of the Irish be with you!



[ This Message was edited by: Paddy on 2002-12-20 21:12 ]

Merry Christmas Paddy,

I heard a rumour that Santa's elves went on strike for higher wages, so the leprechaun's are helping out this year.

:grin:

__________________
Treat your selection and staking methods not with optimism, nor with pessimism, but with realism.

And a merry Xmas to you also Paddy and fellow Pro-Punter Forum members.

'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck,
How to live in a world that's Politically Correct?

His workers would no longer answer to "Elves".
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.

And labor conditions at the North Pole,
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
Released to the wild by the Humane Society.

And equal employment had made it quite clear,
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.

So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid
Were replaced with four pigs - and did that look stupid!

The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were deemed dangerous by the E.P.A.

And people had started to call the cops
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.

The second-hand pipe smoke had his workers quite frightened,
And his fur-trimmed suit was called "Unenlightened".

And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows,
Rudolph was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.

And had gone on Oprah in front of the whole nation,
Demanding millions in overdue compensation.

And as for the gifts, why he'd never had a notion,
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.

Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him and nothing for her.

Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.

Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls or just for the boys.

Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that's war-like or non-pacifist.

No candy or sweets....they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.

And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie - better off hidden.

For they raised the hackles of those psychological,
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No cricket, no football.....someone could get hurt.
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.

Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe',
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.

So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.

He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you've got to be careful with that word today.

His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable could be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the Left or the Right.

A gift that would satisfy with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion.

Every ethnicity , every hue,
Everyone everywhere....even you.

So here is the gift, it's price beyond worth,

May you and your loved ones enjoy Peace on Earth !!


_________________




[ This Message was edited by: BettyBoop on 2002-12-21 08:24 ]

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs,
It's Summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut !,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine's getting hot; we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too.
All the family's there, sitting by the pool,
Christmas Day the Aussie way, by the barbecue.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce, are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go, we take the family snap,
Pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing up.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

A Merry Xmas and & prosperous New Year to all the Forum Folk.

A safe and very merry Christmas to all the forum members.

Also to management & staff of Smartgambler & Pro-Punter, who provide us with such a great vehicle to communicate.

Finally, a merry Christmas to all those visitors out there that still remain anonymous.

Join up and join in – the more the merrier!


_________________
All the best from the West

Sandgroper :smile:

[ This Message was edited by: Sandgroper on 2002-12-24 10:14 ]

Merry Christmas to all the forum members, particularly the regular contributors. I may not always agree with everyone but I always enjoy the discussions that take place here.

Also a huge thank-you to Neil, Guy and the rest of the staff at Ozmium - we wouldn't bet here without your generosity! Also thanks to the moderators (you know who you are) for keeping the forum a pleasant place to visit and exchange views.

Best wishes to everyone over the festive season and I hope we all have an enjoyable and successful year in 2003!

:smile: :smile: :smile:

I have only been a member for a short while but I enjoy the posts immensly and find them very informative as well profitable. One of the better things about this forum is that there is no mudslinging. Your right to voice your opinion is accepted, although not always agreed with.

All the best for Xmas nice people and may you enjoy it to the hilt and above all travel safely.

Listen to your guides for they will not let you down.