Twas the night before Christmas Fest, and throughout St. Olaf
Plenty were rushing, with no time to put off.
The bright trees in Buntrock were lit up with care,
Saying “Cheers” on the MomCam to those that weren’t there.
The cooks and dear Randy had no time for their beds
While the strong smell of lutefisk entered their heads.
Pastors Svennungsen and Koening? They too watched time pass
As they sat and considered a sermon for mass.
When out from Skoglund there came a great clatter,
And the president rushed to see what was the matter.
Up past Old Maine he flew like a flash,
And over to Tostrud he made a quick dash.
The millions of lights from the ceiling did glow
And blind him from seeing what he wanted to know.
When, what to his wondering ears should appear,
But a mass choir of Oles spreading musical cheer.
Their notes and staccatos, so lively and quick,
Contrasted the whole notes, full, lovely and thick.
And in front of the choir rose Ferguson’s great frame,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
“Now Manitou! Cantorei! now, Chapel and Viking!
And Ole Choir! Sing with a tone that’s a more striking!
There’s an audience tomorrow that surely will bawl!
Now sing, Oles, sing with your hearts one and all!”
Like the calm that appeared before the wild hurricanes flew,
They drew one mighty breath and knew what to do.
Louder, and richer, and lovely they’d sing,
And each note resembled a Christmas Bell’s ring.
And then, in a twinkling, they finished the song
With a chord that resounded resilient and strong.
And as President Anderson began turning around,
Armstrong came to the stage with a bound.
He was dressed in a sweater, warmed through and through,
And his eyes sparkled brightly while assessing the view.
They knew what was coming, just from his behavior,
And each reached to open up “Beautiful Savior.”
The altos- they twinkled! The basses were merry!
The sopranos and tenors were light, fresh and airy!
The orchestra violins did not move a bow,
As they listened to music as fresh as the snow.
The fluists and cellists sat back with a smile
(For they knew they’d play again in a while).
Amundson, Johson and Asbass gave cheer,
Because this choir was great, and they liked what they could hear!
Benson than rose and recited some psalms,
And Anderson smiled, in spite of his qualms!
A slight nod from Armstrong then perfectly said,
That tomorrow’d be perfect, with nothing to dread.
Anderson left, with more work left to do
But he was left feeling calmed and warmed all the way through.
That’s the magic of Christmas Fest, a concert that shows
The true meaning of Christmas that everyone knows!
The snow on Old Main glistened under the moon,
And all knew that their parents would arrive soon.
As Oles crawled into bed and turned off the light,
They whispered, “Happy Christmas Fest to all, and to all a good-night!”
*photo credit: St. Olaf website