Christmas is coming ever so near,
So this is the message I send you with cheer;  

Have a Merry Christmas and New Years too,
The best of times I send to you;  

For Christmas is a time of worldly joy,
Not just the thrill of getting a toy;

It is meant to be shared with the ones you love
Your friends and family and our god above;

The purpose of Christmas is solely to give,
Something to remember as long as you live;

So here my friend is my gift to you,
Sent with joy and happiness too;

It is a simple wish for a holiday season,
Why I wrote it is for this reason:

Because Christmas lights, trees and holly,
Make it the season to be jolly.

Your State Journal Paperboy,
Mark A. Richardson

Commentary:

This poem was written to generate holiday tip revenue from the author's newspaper customers. Note the line, "The purpose of Christmas is solely to give." And give they did. In fact, tips were so abundant that the author was able to buy several new Atari cartridges after the following collection period. To give some perspective, home video game cartridges then, as now, cost between $35 and $40 each, a substantial amount of money for a 13-year-old boy in 1982. The author extends a belated thanks to his father, who had the poem professionally typed and photocopied at his office.

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