My Contribution to the Left and Right game.

Well, it's been 23 days since I've touched a keyboard to write anything other than the basic email or facebook post.  It's been lovely to take a little break from the have to of NaNoWriMo.

But this morning I got that itch again.  It's Christmas, you see, and there are things to be said.

In our family we play a little game.  I think it's just called the Left/Right game.  It's our version of a White Elephant exchange.  You start with a bunch of inexpensive wrapped toys and gifts, and a bunch of people.  Hand every person except one a present.  The last person reads a directional story that includes at least the words right and left, although some have other directional words like across and skip.  As the person reads, the people with the gifts pass the gifts left and right as the story plays out.  When the story is over, each person opens the gift that they have in front of them.

The more people at the party, the more diversity in the age of the players, the faster the reader reads, the more hilarious chaos.  All of that, and you don't have the kids crying because Billy stole the highly coveted nose-picking game on his last choice.  It's a win win all the way around.


We've done this for quite a few years at this point.  I've always just searched the web for something fun.  This morning, I thought I'd add to the fun with my very own Left/Right poem. 

Enjoy.

All the Right Gifts

T’was right before Christmas and left round the tree

Were presents and prizes and gifts just for thee

I’d left for the store, right round 6 o’clock

I’d searched high and low for the right kind of stock

And I’d found such good things, they were perfectly right

To be left under the tree on that Christmas Eve night.

For instance, right to the left at the back of the store

I’d found a package just right for to foil your snore.

Then I found to my glee when I dug through the shelf

The perfect toe spreaders, and there was just the one left.

Oh Joy, oh what bliss, oh how pleased you would be

I found just the right box of your favorite tea

Now back to the house, I left in a flutter

Quickly grabbing what was left of the right kind of butter.

I gathered supplies I’d left round the house

To wrap my treasures, right near the tree,

or at least, right thereabouts.

I reached for the scissors, they’d just been right there

I found them right under the left blue wing chair

I sliced up the paper to just the right size

I taped til I was left with a beautiful prize

I found the right paper, to write down your name

I left the “From” blank because you’d know just the same

I stacked the gifts nicely, I left them right there

Near the tree, to the right of the left blue wing chair

On Christmas I hope that you’ll find what I left

And be pleased and delighted with all the right gifts

For now I will go right quickly to bed

And enjoy all the Christmas dreams right in my head.

 Stacey Leigh Hamlin