‘Tis the night before the night before Christmas
All the streets have been plowed
Store owners are dreaming
Of tomorrow’s frenzied crowd

Decorations are hung
In the windows with care
In hopes that last minute shoppers
Soon will be there

Buying nightlights and ornaments
Or perhaps a new cap
Or a present for the mailman
Who’s a very nice chap

Tomorrow morning on the hilltop
There will be such a clatter
With families on a snow hike
Loud with holiday chatter

Away then to High Street
They’ll fly like a flash
Throw open the doors
All carrying cash

The sun on the breast
Of last week’s major snow
Blinds the poor shoppers
As they pay and they go

When what to their wondering eyes
Should appear
But some friends in a window
Having a holiday beer

With a stop at the Midway
Lively and quick
They forget for a moment
There’s more presents to pick

They leave in a hurry
Remembering why they came
They’re here to shop
Where people know their name

Now Ivey’s! Town & Country!
And the Mineral Point Collection,
On Johnston’s! JJ Pickens!
Simply Scarfs and Ben Franklin

To the top at Bergets
To the bottom at Howdle’s
Now shop away! Shop away!
Shop away all!

At the Wantoot gallery
They get an itch
To stop at the Gray Dog
For soup and a sandwich

They roll down to Leapin’ Lizards
With more shopping to do
They need some little toys
And Harriet’s pots too

Then they go to the Longbranch
Where necklaces hang from branches
They buy a bracelet
And sit on the benches

They head out of the store
And look all around
They see De La Pear
And away they do bound

They find reclaimed items
Knitted socks for the foot
Bangles and lollies
Unusual goods

As they exit the store
And head back up to High
They stop at the Rooster
For a big slice of pie

To Bobbi Jo’s where it twinkles
And is always so merry
Everything is so pretty
Now there’s so much to carry

With black and white bags
Tied up with a bow
They stop at Replete
To get out of the snow

They buy more gifts for giving
There is no time to rest
There’s that thing in the window
Up at Phoebe’s Nest

They talk about the weekend
And where they might meet
Brewery Creek, the MP Dining Company
Or Kusaka to eat

At two stores on Commerce
They look at antiques
Then remember there’s more
At the new Crazy Franks

On their way they did stop
For some extra fine something
At Brewery Pottery
‘Cuz they’re always open

Then down to Prairie Oak Artisans
The Artist Annex and Foundry Books
Then up to the Stairway Gallery
And across to the Bargain Nook

They needed one last thing
Something special, maybe glass
They went to Sirius Sunlight
The BottleWorks, Artful Apparel and C. Peplinski at last

Exhausted by now
It was time for a nap
But instead they got burgers
Down at Tony’s Tap

As their food arrived
They were all so pleased
And then they remembered
“We forgot to buy cheese!”

Hook’s wasn’t open
Because Friday it was not
So they went to Five Corners
And cheese is what they got

I heard them exclaim
As they walked out of sight
Merry Christmas Mineral Point!
And to all a Good Night!