Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the harbor
Only palm trees were stirring, on the island to starboard
No stockings were hung on the lifelines with care;
There was never a thought that St. Nick would be there.
Now Paul in his board shorts, and I in my robe
Had just settled in for a toast to the cove,
When far out offshore there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from our seats to see what was the matter.
We stood on the stern and stared into the night;
Over moon-glinted ocean, a wave-sparkled sight
Just visible now, foiling toward us with ease
Came a red wing so large, it could do as it pleased
With plenty of speed, never dropping off foil,
The red be-robed rider approached at a boil
I closed my eyes tight and awaited the crash,
But instead what I heard was a Ho-Ho-Ho laugh!
Before we could even call out an ahoy,
This red-hatted figure was speeding right by
Closer and closer he got to the beach
Then tacked away smoothly without crash or breach
As he whooshed past again, we let out a cheer
For in showing his skills, he’d brought gifts to those near
All too soon he was gone from our tropical scene
And I wondered if this was just rum-induced dream
But then more shouts came from the boats right next door
“Thanks Foiling Santa!” and “Come back for more!”
While from out of the darkness, an answer uncoiled:
“Merry Christmas, to all! And to all, a good foil.”