HILL AIR FORCE BASE – The poem we know and love as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” was first published in 1823 with the title of “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.
Clement Clarke Moore is most frequently cited as the poem’s author, but in keeping with the American tradition of intrigue, some claim the author was actually Henry Livingston Jr.
While the rightful claim to the original poem may never be settled, I encourage you to settle-in and settle for my very original attempt to put safety in everything we do...even holiday-related poetry.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all over Hill Field,
Defenders were on patrol, keeping their eyes peeled;
Every building was warm-ish, the sidewalks quite neat,
Facility managers had pushed the snow out at least 75 feet;
Commanders and First Shirts took a break from advising,
After their briefing on safe winter driving;
Hill Yeah FSS was promoting safe fun,
And dreaming of next summer’s events under the sun.
The installation shone; the community symbol of freedom,
Until a ruckus began at the Hill Aerospace Museum;
FES dispatch was called, out went the fire truck,
To respond to a man in a red suit, who was...stuck?
The moon on the skin of a B-52,
Reminded us “three points of contact on a ladder...NOT TWO!”
The would-be Santa was engaged in some bizarreness,
He’d tried to climb down the museum’s chimney, without a harness.
His landing was hard, but he said he felt great;
He’d even help his supervisor fill out the 978
Santa sprung to his feet; launched his sleigh into the sky,
And summoned the 75th Occupational Safety Staff from on high;
“Now Daniel, now Brannan, now Pat, Al and Frank;
On Adam, on Shane, on Chris and Big H!”
“To the top of the command, it’s getting hard to rhyme;
Let’s make 2024 the safest year of all time!”
And I heard him exclaim as he began to strafe,
“Try to dodge these presents, and please...BE SAFE.”