-->“The value of a man resides in what he gives,
And not in what he is capable of receiving.”

Albert Einstein



This tale begins on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve,
An awful blizzard is blowing – would you believe?

A little brown dog sadly walks on through the night,
She’s alone and she’s starving, with no hope in sight.

She digs through the garbage, but no food is found,
The wind begins howling – what a frightening sound.

This homeless waif crawls into a box in a frigid alley,
Seeking shelter in it, behind a bar named O’Malleys.

She has only one friend – a discarded teddy bear,
She had found it in the trash – it had lost all its hair.

Now every cold lonely night, she embraces her only friend,
Now, this tiny dog would protect her teddy bear, to the end.

While this sad little orphan sleeps, a fierce storm hits the city,
Everything soon buried in snowdrifts – very deadly, but pretty.

The dog suddenly awakens in her box, and she hears quite a clatter,
She nervously peeks through the snow, to see just what’s the matter.

Soon, she spots a man dressed all in wool, from his head to his foot,
And his bright red clothing is completely covered with ashes and soot.

The stump of a long black pipe, he holds tight in his teeth,
And huge white smoke rings encircle his head like a wreath.

His whiskered mouth is drawn up very tight like a bow,
And the thick beard on his chin is as white as the snow.

The man speaks not a word, but goes right to his work,
He empties out trashcans, then bends down with a jerk.

He eventually picks up the box with the little dog inside,
And he’s about to crush it, when the frightened dog cries.

The man quickly opens it up, and he is very surprised,
To find a tiny homeless dog and her teddy bear inside.

No, this man is not jolly Saint Nick with his reindeer and sled,
He is Lou the Trash Man, with his green garbage truck instead.

“Poor little doggy! You must be cold and lonely,
How about sharing some of my milk and baloney?”

This starving little dog eagerly gobbles up Lou’s gift,
And this kind hearted garbage man now offers her a lift.

“You’re a very nice doggy, and you’re down on your luck,
How would you like to come home with me, in my truck?”

The tiny dog’s eyes quickly brighten, and her tail begins wagging,
As she excitedly hops into Lou’s truck – her teddy she’s dragging.

“We’ll have to give you a name, little doggy! Hmm? I know,
I’ll call you ‘Treasure’ since I found you buried in the snow!

“And your little teddy friend, we’ll call him ‘Tattered Ted,’
Now, the both of you can finally sleep in a warm cozy bed.”

The little dog now joyously barks and licks old Lou’s chin,
She and her Tattered Teddy will never, ever, be lonely again.

Lou the Trash Man did find a genuine Christmas Treasure,
And the friendship that has formed is far beyond measure.

Our story ends as Lou’s garbage truck rumbles out of sight,
Lou hugs his new pal, waves, and yells: “Have a Good Night!”

And how would I know that this very sweet Christmas tale is true ?
I have been to O’Malleys - and I’ve met the dog, the teddy, and Lou.

Merry Christmas To All,
And To All, A Good Night;
We Can All Truly Be Like Santa,
Helping Others, Doing What’s Right.


©Christmas 2015, Mr. Ed