******* santa's@suburbanseattledotcom ********
T'was the night before Christmas,when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except Keiko's mouse.
The computer was humming, the icons were hopping,
As Keiko did last-minute internet shopping.
The stockings were hung by the modem with care
In hope that St. Nick would bring new software.
The rugrats were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of computer games danced in their heads.
A breadmaker for Grunt and Quicken for Dan,
And Carmen Sandiego for Pamela Ann.
The letters to Santa had been sent out by Mom,
To sclaus@npoletoyshop dot com.
They all have been re-routed to Washington State
Because Santa's workshop has been picked up by Gates.
All the elves and reindeer have had to skedaddle
To flashy new quarters in suburban Seattle.
After centuries of a life that was simple and spare,
St. Nicholas is suddenly a new billionaire.
With a shiny red Porsche in the place of his sleigh,
And a house on Lake Washington that's just up the way
From where Bill has his mansion, the old fellow preens
In black Gucci Boots and red Calvin Klein jeans.
The elves have stock options and desks with a view,
Where they write computer code for Johnny and Sue.
No more dolls or tin soldiers or little toy drums
Will be under the tree, only compact disk ROMS
With the Microsoft label, so Ace! spin up your drive,
From now on Christmas runs only on Win95.
More rapid than eagles the competitors came,
And Bill whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.
" Now ADOBE ! now,CLARIS ! now, INTUIT ! too,
Now, APPLE! and NETSCAPE ! you are all of you through.
It is Bill's SANTA that the kids can't resist,
it's the ultimate software with a traditional twist-
Recommended by no less than the jolly old elf,
And on the package, a picture of Santa himself.
Get 'em young, keep 'em long is Bill's new scheme,
And a merger with Santa is a marketer's dream.
To the top of the NAZDAK! to the top of the DOW!
Now dash away! dash away ! dash away--WOW !
And Mama in her 'kerchief and Keiko in his cap,
Has just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter.
The whir and the turn of our satelite platter,
As it turned toward that new Christmas star in the sky,
The SANTALITE,
Yup!, you guessed it, owned by that Microsoft guy.
As I sprang from my bed and was turning around,
My computer tuned on with a Jingle-Bells sound.
And there on the screen was a smiling Bill Gates,
Next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm mates.
And I heard them exclaim in a voice so bright,
Have a MICROSOFT CHRISTMAS, and TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT. |
