‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the town,
All the people were scurrying up streets and down;
The meetings all set in their planners with care,
In hopes that the customers too would be there!
Workers were snacking all snug in break rooms,
With visions of PTO coming up soon.
VPs in their offices and every board room,
Had just settled in for a long winter’s ZOOM,
When out in the parking lot arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Forgetting en route the tightly sealed sash.
The motion-activated spotlights on newly-scooped snow
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did show up,
But miniature FedEx and UPS trucks!
With genial drivers so lively and quick,
I thought for a moment they must be St. Nick!
More rapid than eagles, the boxes they came–
We all whistled and shouted and called them by name:
“Now, Chamber! now, Diners! now Bars and Arts Center!
On, Shoe Stores! on, Grocers! on, Mall and Theatre!
To the top of Commercial! to the old City Hall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before wild tornadoes will fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the highway the trucks fairly flew,
With cargoes of locally-made goods and other stuff, too.
And then in a twinkling, I saw on email,
The details of shipments and every last sale.
With a sigh of relief and a shake of her head,
The CEO exhaled, with nothing to dread;
She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,
And signed all the paychecks, then turned with a jerk,
And laying her finger aside of her nose,
And giving a nod, up the elevator she rose.
She strolled to Reception, to her team gave a whistle,
And ‘round they all gathered, like the down of a thistle.
I heard her exclaim, ere she turned out the lights–
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce offers this lighthearted twist on an old holiday favorite, with warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a bright shining New Year!
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“Let’s Talk Business” is a weekly column of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Emporia. The mission of the Chamber is to be proactive in creating an environment for business and community success, guided by the vision that positive attitudes promote positive actions. Contact us at 620-342-1600 or chamber@emporiakschamber.org and visit our website at www.emporiakschamber.org.