Our Twelve Days Before Christmas

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TWELVE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTINAS

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TWELVE DAYS Before Christmas "TT^ "Tr""* X""^ T"* ~^^

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CHRISTOPHER WHITE

ECW PRESS

Copyright © Christopher White, 2003 Published by ECW PRESS 2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M^E IE2 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW PRESS. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

White, Christopher, 1956Our twelve days before Christmas / Christopher White. ISBN 1-55022-614-2 i. White, Christopher, 1956 - Anecdotes. 2. Christmas - Anecdotes. 3. Authors, Canadian (English) — 2oth century — Anecdotes. I. Title. Ps8595.H4iyo97 2003 c8i8'-54O3 C2OO3-9O22O2-I PR9I99.3.W55097 2003 Developing editor: Jennifer Hale Cover and Text Design: Tania Craan Cover illustration: °Werran/Ochsner/Photonica Interior illustrations: Wesley Bates / Three in a Box Inc. Production and typesetting: Mary Bowness Printing: Transcontinental High Tech Santa Words by Angela Darter Stogsdill Music by Cristi Gary Miller Copyright © 1997 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved This book is set in Bickham Script and Columbus. The publication of Our Twelve Days Before Christmas has been generously supported by the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program. Canada DISTRIBUTION

CANADA: Jaguar Book Group, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, ON, LJG 554 PRINTED AND BOUND IN CANADA

iiUW PRESS ccwpresssa

To the women who fill my life with joy and love all the year round: my wife, Wendy, daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth; my sister Alison, and in memory of my mom, Jane.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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BEFORE THE COUNTDOWN

8

0n^^ejp?&<j, before Christmas, my true love gave to me an eight-foot, enormous pine tree.

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on the elementh da e

before Christmas, my daughters gave to me eleven paper angels to decorate the enormous pine tree. /?

on the lenth deay before Christmas, my true love gave to me ten shopping lists for kith and kin with enormous pine trees. 37

on the noth ay before Christmas, my daughters gave to me nine concerts to remember, so I collapsed under the enormous pine tree, ^x

(L/M> trie- C&zstctt' -i^va^ before Christmas, my true loves gave to me eight Christmas cookies in the shape of an enormous pine tree. &?

on the leveth day before Christmas, I gathered by my side seven favourite stories to read under the enormous pine tree. #9

(Dn, t£> ^a^/^a^ before Christmas, my true loves hid from me six Christmas items that I kind of, sort of, hope they might put under the enormous pine tree, /os

On^S^/Q)™ before Christmas, the call went out from me for five Thespian goats (and please keep them away from the enormous pine tree). /&?

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