by Karen Gabay
'Twas the night before Christmas at the Stahlbaum House
Ev'ry creature was stirring ... Yes, even a mouse!
The party was festive, the tree trimmed with care
And Godfather Drosselmeyer soon would be there
The children were playing, their parents all fed
Fritz was excited when he heard what was said:
His mother announced, "Now, everyone hide!
Drosselmeyer is late and must be surprised!"
So the party then halted while everyone hid
Drosselmeyer entered, checking his watch as he did
Out popped the guests with laughter and glee
He greeted them all, but where was Marie?
Marie, his Godchild and apple of his eye
When at last she appeared, he let out a sigh
He brought a special gift, meant only for her
Such a graceful young lady, so sweet and demure
He then staged a play for the guests to enjoy
A mysterious tale of a Hard Nut and a boy
It began with a Princess and a mouse craving cheese
And a King and a Queen who said NO to his pleas
This mouse had magic powers and when cheese was denied
He cast a spell on the Princess, who became sleepy-eyed
She could not wake up 'til a rare Nut was found
The kingdom sent word out for towns to look 'round
A friend of the king, a stargazer named Dross
Brought in the Hard Nut to calm the chaos
Any suitor that could crack this Hard Nut with his teeth
Could marry the Princess, once roused from her sleep
Suitors came forth and to crack they did try
Including two brothers named Nimble and Nye
To their disappointment, their efforts did fail
Then Dross brought young Klaus, arriving by sail
This nephew of Dross had teeth that were strong
He cracked the Hard Nut as he danced to a song
The princess awoke and gazed at young Klaus
Love bloomed - but was ruined - because of one mouse
The rodent discovered his spell had been broken -
For the Nut was now cracked and the princess awoken -
The mouse then snuck up and he grabbed the young boy
With one nasty bite, the kingdom lost all joy
Because at that moment, Klaus turned into wood
Never to move as before he once could
The Play ended there - but not for Marie
When Godfather said, "One more gift, just for thee."
Could this be the Nutcracker the play was about?
She believed it was him, without any doubt
Once all were tucked in, Marie crept down to see
Her special Nutcracker 'neath their Christmas tree
She danced with her Nutcracker, spinning to sleep
The house became still, not a sound, not a peep
When she awoke, things were not the right size
A battle erupts and the evil Rat dies
The spell on her Nutcracker, lifted and broken
Transformed to a Prince, filled with true love, unspoken
They depart on a journey with dancing snowflakes
Where a blossoming world of discovery awaits
They meet Spaniards, Arabians, Chinese with fast feet,
Russian and Children from a Valley that "tweet"
The Prince gives his Marie a tutu and a crown
All dance and rejoice in this new true love found
Marie and her Prince dance in Love's happy light
Never to imagine this ends with night
The joyous celebration ends with a kiss
And Marie is enchanted, swept up in sheer bliss
She turns back to her Prince - and finds he's not there
Yet she still wears rosebuds and a crown in her hair
The crack of dawn illuminates a figure by the tree
Is it a toy made of wood or her Prince she see?
