The first day of Christmas

Its Christmas time for our family, as of course it is also for yours’

And all of us getting together is important just like Santa Claus,

Our children all now live near Ottawa, we stay with each one in turn

With their husbands and all of their children a sequence that we had to learn.

One picks us up at the airport often from quite far away.

It’s become quite a tradition, that that is the first place we stay.

This year the oldest, and husband are leaving on day twenty two 

So we had to advance Christmas dinner to the weekend, before it was due.

It would be quite an occasion with food for a bunch to prepare

But when Harry the husband went downstairs, he got a terrible scare.

Water was flooding the basement already three inches deep

The boiler had started its leaking while we all were asleep.

So we worked with sponges and buckets, to absorb and dispose of the flood

Though the water was slightly disgusting, with traces  of mouse turds and mud.

We decided to phone for a plumber, and one arrived fairly fast

And said the use of the boiler was definitely now in the past.

He told us we needed a new one, but could not be here right away

We would have to live with cold water, at least to the following day.

There were eighteen of us for dinner, with turkey and ham there to sup

And a slight sense of trepidation at the thought of the cold washing up.

Your author as paterfamilias, retired to read from his book

And assumed that the rest of the family would come to the aid of the cook.

The task was duly completed, but alas there was still no hot water

So we just packed up and departed to stay with our other daughter