A Story for Christmas

Timmy and Tommy Mouse lay in their beds,
Each with a pillow to prop up their heads.
They were eagerly waiting for Daddy to come
To read them their story, a Christmassy one.
Then Daddy Mouse came after just a short while,
"I hope you're not tired," he said with a smile.

He took hold of a chair and pulled it near,
So both of his sons could easily hear.
"This is a story of long, long ago,
About something special I want you to know."
Timmy and Tommy both loved to be told,
True stories of wonder that were very old.

"A long time ago, in a town far away,
Was a stable with cows and freshly mown hay.
The cows dreamt that something would happen that night,
Something so special, to make the world right.
They told all their friends, the mice and the sheep,
'We must make a cot where a baby can sleep.' "

"Why would a baby want to sleep in a shed?"
Tommy Mouse asked sitting up in his bed.
"I'll tell you," said Daddy. "Now where did I get?
Oh yes! The cot, but they've not found one yet.
The sheep offered wool to spread on the ground,
But the cow said, 'Could something better be found?'

'Why not the manger?' A mouse turned and said,
'With hay and your wool, it will make a nice bed!'
'That would be better; I'll clear it all out!
You pick up some hay and we'll spread it about.'
While the mice scurried off to gather some hay,
The sheep rubbed their coats till the wool came away.

The cow cleaned the manger of everything there,
Then pulled up a hay bale to make a soft chair.
With everything ready, the manger looked nice;
It was so soft and warm - all thanks to the mice.
The sheep made a blanket with wool soft and white,
To keep off the chill from this clear starlit night.

In the distance they heard a donkey's loud bray;
They knew without looking 'twas coming their way.
The mice all went over and stood by the cow,
And the sheep stood beside them, all happy now.
They knew they had made the best job they could do,
And the dream the cow had was soon to come true.

The donkey stopped outside the door of their home,
While a man and a lady came in all alone.
Then suddenly a bright light shone all around,
Just as the lady was laid on the ground.
The Angels watched over this lady, and then
She gave birth to a boy child, the saviour of men.

The cow gave her milk, and the sheep gave a shawl.
The mice smoothed the hay, and she smiled at them all.
The baby named Jesus, was sent from above,
And there in the stable, they all felt His love."
Timmy and Tommy both jumped out of bed;
"We helped baby Jesus!" Timmy Mouse said.

"And tonight it's His Birthday, and like the three Kings,
Santa is coming to bring you nice things."
"I did like the story," Tommy Mouse said,
As he snuggled down in his comfortable bed.
"Me too," whispered Timmy Mouse, trying to keep
His tired eyes open...then he fell asleep.