A Buckaroo's Christmas

The light from the fire
Was flickering low
As the cowboy came in
To get out of the snow.

He thew on some wood
To build up the fire
Then sat down to get warm
With a cup of hot cider.

Twas the night before Christmas
And he was there all alone.
Out in a line camp
There's not even a phone.

And his partner had gone
To pick up a stray.
And left him alone
To spend Christmas Day.

He sipped on his cider
And slept for a while.
And dreamed of the Christmases
He'd spent as a child.

He thought of his family
Trimming the tree.
And the times he'd sat
Upon Santa's knee.

Now ol' Santa's a fake
He'd known all along
He's just part of Christmas
That they sing 'bout in songs.

He thought of the fun
That his family had had.
As they opened up presents
From their mom and dad.

And he dreamed of the dinner,
His mom set quite a spread
There was turkey and stuffing
And hot homemade bread.

He dreamed on and on
Of Christmases past
Of sleigh bells and carols
But sleep didn't last.

All of a sudden
He awoke with a start.
The horses were restless
His dog started to bark.

He raced out the door
And threw on his coat.
And out in the barn
He found hanging a note.

It said, "the reindeer were hungry
So I fed 'em say hay."
It was signed by St. Nicholas
"Have a nice Christmas Day."

This must be a joke
So he looked all around
But try as he might
No one could be found.

Then as he walked to his cabin
He looked up to see
What he thought was a reindeer
But no, couldn't be.

Cuz he thought to himself
This is all just a dream.
And Santa's not real
Santa's just a big scheme.

Then he headed on in
To go back to sleep
But when he opened the door,
He started to weep.

Cuz there on the table,
Fit for a king
Was a turkey and trimmings
And all sorts of good things

And over there in the corner
Stood a big Christmas tree
So lit up with lights
That the whole world could see.

And there underneath
It's branches so low
Was a brightly wrapped present
All done up with a bow.

He opened the gift.
Read the card that it had.
It said, "To our son,"
Love, Mom and Dad

As he sat there he heard
In a voice loud and clear,
"Merry Christmas to all
We'll see ya next year."

Now some people say
That Santa's not true.
But he'll always be special
To that lone buckaroo.