Santa's Response Poem by Jay Loring

My Dear Child,
I just got your letter -
along with the key,
and I wanted to thank you
for thinking of me.

It really was so very
thoughtful of you.
The key is just perfect!
I know just what to do.

The problem you have is
quite common, you see.
For a good many homes
have no chimney for me.

They're not building homes
like they used to before you.
But that's a long story,
I don't want to bore you.

These modernish homes
often lack in their charms,
with their bars and their gates
and their burglar alarms.

I'm sorry, but sometimes
I tend to digress.
The subject right now's
how I make my ingress.

If the key that you gave me
is something of yours,
it will help me get in
any one of your doors.

It is really quite simple,
for all that I need
is the faith of a child
who has done a good deed.

It's a wonderful, mystical,
powerful magic.
And the fact that some people
can't see it is tragic.

And as for your warning
about your dog, Smack,
you've no cause for worrying -
we go way back.

I'll give him a treat
and a pat on his head,
then he'll wag his big tail
and go back to his bed.

And Mrs. Claus thanks you
for saving my coat
from the dusty gray soot
and the black creosote.

The reindeer prefer to not
land on the shingles.
If you listen real close,
you might even hear jingles.

On the ground where it's safe,
they can stomp and can snort.
They even throw snowballs
at Rudolph for sport.

I'm sure you'll be satisfied
come Christmas morn,
with the presents revealed
and the papers all torn.

But the real gifts at Christmas
aren't under the tree.
They're the treasure of friends
and your whole family.

It's brothers and sisters,
your mom and your dad;
your distant relations
and friends that you've had.

It's love that's the key,
not some cold piece of steel.
It's the feeling - the warmth
of affection - that's real.

You've been an exceptional
child from your birth,
well, except for your comment
concerning my girth.

Oh, my dear little child,
it will all be alright.
So, rest your sweet head,
go to sleep now - good night.

Love,
Santa