by the shores of the zuider zee

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• 

  dianne_k

  Here is the entire poem as my mother learned it from her father in the 1920’s:
  
  Once upon a time in a queer little town
  On the shores of the Zuider Zee,
  When all the good people were fast asleep,
  A strange thing happened to me.
  
  Alone the night before Christmas,
  I sat by the glowing fire,
  Watching the flames as they rose and fell,
  And the sparks shot higher and higher.
  
  Suddenly one of these sparks
  Began to glimmer, flicker, and wink
  Like a big bright eye till I hardly knew
  What to do, or to say, or to think.
  
  Quick as a flash, it changed to a face,
  And what in the world did I see?
  But dear old Santa Claus nodding his head
  And waving his hand to me!
  
  Oh, follow me, follow me, softly he cried,
  And up through the chimney I mounted,
  Not daring to utter a word
  Till we stood on the chimney’s brim.
  
  Now tell me, I beg you, dear Santa Claus,
  Where am I going with you?
  He laughingly answered, “Why, don’t you know?
  To travel the wide world through!”
  
  From my crystal palace far in the North
  I have come since dark to see
  These curious things for the little folks
  Who live on the Zuider Zee.
  
  Then seating himself in his reindeer sleigh
  And drawing me down by his side,
  He whistled, and off on the wings of the wind
  We flew for our midnight ride.
  
  But first, what comical presents he left
  For the little Dutch girls and boys:
  Onions, sausages, wooden-faced dolls,
  Cheese and gingerbread toys.
  
  Then away we hurried, far to the South
  To the beautiful land of France.
  There he showered the loveliest gifts:
  Flaxen-haired dolls that could dance.
  
  Soldiers that marched at the word of command,
  Necklaces, bracelets, and rings,
  Tiny gold watches all studded with gems,
  And hundreds of exquisite things.
  
  Then, crossing the channel, we made short call
  To Scotland and Ireland, too.
  We left a warm greeting for England and Wales,
  Then over the ocean we flew.
  
  Straight to America
  Where he perched on a chimney high.
  I watched him scramble and bustle about
  Between the Earth and sky.
  
  Many a stocking he filled to the brim
  And numberless Christmas trees
  Burst into bloom at his magical touch.
  Then all of a sudden a breeze caught us,
  
  Bore us away to the South
  And afterwards blew us out West.
  And never till dawn peeped over the hills
  Did we stop for a moment’s rest!
  
  “Christmas is coming!” he whispered to me,
  You can see his smile in the sky.
  “I wish a Merry Christmas to all the world.
  My work is over — Goodbye!”
  
  Like a flash he was gone, and I was alone
  For all this happened to me,
  Once upon a time in a queer little town
  On the shores of the Zuider Zee. more »

  LikeReply4 months ago
• 

  jeri_c

  My grandmother (born 1899) knew a little more of it.
  https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ai874_Y-cfVYmAFl_JfRWEW_FHFn?e=7FwvQV
  
  but she "forgot the rest" lol

  LikeReply8 months ago
• 

  jbs1950

  I took learned the poem, By the Shores of the Zuider Zee from my grandmother as a child. And, I cannot find the poem. And can only remember a few words of it.

  LikeReply 12 years ago