9th Day of Christmas

[9 oranges - we used 8 real oranges and one chocolate orange]


Once there was a little girl all alone
She lived in Denmark on the streets made of stone
Her Mom and Dad and passed away
So she had no nice place to stay

It was December and it was bitter cold
She tried to be strong, brave, and bold
But the winds would blow; she could not take any more
She finally cried, huddled up on the floor

A policeman passed by and took her in his arms
Protecting her from her world of harms
He took her to an orphanage then
And told them there where she had been

They took her in and gave her a bed
Where she could rest her little head
She was happy and settled, so grateful indeed
For the kind man and his unselfish deed

As Christmas grew near, some friends she did make
They told stories at night, and she’d stay wide awake
Always talking about Christmas day
She couldn’t believe all the things they would say

Word of a tree that would appear down the hall
And what she heard next was the best of all
On Christmas morning after a breakfast so bland
They would each receive a gift – how grand!


One small orange for each girl and boy
That news created mountains of joy
To you and I that seems hardly a present
But for her the thought was abundantly pleasant

Her excitement grew with each day that passed
When would she get her orange at last?
On Christmas Eve she just had to peek
As she snuck down the stairs, they made a creak

The headmaster heard her sneaking about
He sternly declared that she would go without
Her orange would be taken away on the morrow
Her curiosity and delight was now sorrow

She could not believe her Christmas fate
For another chance, a whole year she must wait
She fell asleep, her face wet with tears
She was filled with disappointment and fears

The sun came up and the children were giddy
All except her - she only felt pity
She could not face the punishment and shame
The others ate breakfast, but she never came

Later, her friends returned to the room
She tried not to show them her state of gloom
They handed her a napkin with an orange inside!
It was sectioned and peeled, she smiled wide

How could this be, that it was for her
There must be some mistake, for sure
But she saw it with her own eyes
They had each given a piece to make her a surprise