‘Twas the night before Christmas – in pediatrics!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the wings,
Not a baby was crying because mobiles did sing.
The decorations were hung on the walls with great care,
In hopes that decorating champions would be our title to share.

The patients were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of lab coats and blue gloves danced in their heads.
But tonight was different, there was a sort of peace,
Because tomorrow was Christmas here on 2East.

When suddenly in room 42 there arose such a clatter,
A blue light flashing overhead- what could be the matter?
Towards the room I flew with nurses and docs in tow,
Only to find my three-year old smiling with hand on the code blue button saying “uh oh.”

His mom returned from the vending machine to see oh what a sight,
As the dust settled we tucked that little gremlin in bed for the night.
It’s a good thing Santa does not discriminate, Because for sure the naughty list that three-year old would make.

Back to the nurse’s station I returned wearing a grin, To find a lively old man with a white beard holding a bag of presents within.
Santa laughed as he said in his jolly red coat and soft white hat,
“Life would be quite bland if it wasn’t for kids like that!”

“On July 4th, on Thanksgiving, on Christmas you do work,
On New Years, Easter, Memorial Day… I guess the pay is a perk.
But working a holiday surely can’t be a favorite, When the rest of the family is at home enjoying it.”

“Sure, I hand out toys and treats but you truly offer the best gift,
With these kids lives in your hands spirits you do lift.
Thank you nurses, for all that you do on this holiday,
A remarkable profession, the field of nursing, in a very big way.”

Then Santa grabbed his bags and threw them on his back with ease,
And made his trek down the hall delivering presents to the hospitalized kiddies.
His footsteps were so quiet, you’d have thought he was walking on air,
Authentic he sure looked with rosy cheeks and snow white hair.

Nevermind influenza, heart failure, CP or infection of the ear,
Failure to thrive, meningitis, broken leg- he does not fear.
Each and every patient received a gift that night,
A gift hand delivered by St. Nick to make their mornings bright.

With the last gift tucked away, he headed for the door and blew us a kiss,
Mumbling something under his breath of a fireplace he did miss.
We all thought “Becky’s husband really went overboard as Santa this year,
His beard, his outfit, his chuckle- all very sincere.”

The look on the kid’s faces the next morning was worth seeing,
Amazement, excitement, huge smiles kept them right on believing.
It was a joyful Christmas morning in the hospital this year,
If I wasn’t going to be home, the next best place to be is here.

Becky walked in just as we were all partaking in the joy,
And we thanked her for sending her husband with all of the toys.
She promptly told us that unfortunately her husband had the flu and was in bed,
Then the questions started to arise in our heads.

It seems as though Santa really did visit the hospital this year,
And did exactly what I always remembered him bringing, lots of cheer.
We never get too old for that guy, I realized today,
And as a drove home I laughed and said, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great day.”