鈥橳was five nights before Christmas, and all through the 鈥檋ood

Children prepare for Santa鈥檚 visit, as they should.

The shops downtown are open quite late,

As the last-minute shoppers still have gifts to locate.

The butchers have turkeys, but all are reserved.

If you don鈥檛 have yours yet, what on Earth will you serve?

The churches get set for their season to peak

As full congregations are expected all week.

And as is tradition at this time of year,

The Record editor offers some poetic cheer.

So let it begin, what more can I do?

A Christmas poem, from me to you.

The year started great, by all accounts

With on-campus lodging at NIC announced.

More than 200 beds for students on site

A short distance to travel from classrooms at night.

K鈥櫭砿oks First Nation had a successful election

A new Chief and Council to offer direction.

The Coldest Night of the Year was a rousing sensation

With 500+ walkers rising to the occasion.

The fundraising event to support issues of the homeless

Brought in nearly $200,000: success!

March was indeed a month of madness for some,

RCMP we kept busy because鈥� people are dumb.

There was a silly TikTok challenge gone awry,

That sent people to hospital, leaving many asking why?

Bored teenagers ringing doors and then fleeing

One homeowner fought back, it was an ugly scene.

Then there was the guy who stole a truck,

Attempted to outrun the police, with no luck.

Instead of surrendering, he rammed police cars

Before flipping the vehicle and ending up behind bars.

The Kickers rugby teams did not let us down

The men even battled for a provincial crown.

The Kickers and Richmond squared off for the title

Attention to detail would prove to be vital.

The Kickers tried, and tried, and tried three times more

(See what I did there? A try is a score)

At the end of the match, they were the happy ones

The Kickers came home as men鈥檚 rugby champions.

April news left Comox Valley aghast,

As one of our biggest celebrities passed.

DJ Red Robinson, a Rock 鈥榥鈥� Roll Hall of Famer

Was known as Canada鈥檚 radio entertainer.

He was 86 when he died, April 1

As DJs go, Red was second-to-none.

MusicFest fans let out a collective 鈥渉urray鈥�

When it was announced Sarah McLachlan would play.

Producer Doug Cox was almost in tears;

He鈥檚 been trying to book her for the past 20 years.

The performance was something no one else would equal;

It was a sing-along with 10,000 people.

The Chamber of Commerce made the newspaper,

Naming Tracey Clarke as executive director.

With all her experience, she was a natural choice

To lead the body that gives local businesses a voice.

The Snow to Surf race had a familiar plot,

With Tsunami and Banzai battling for top spot.

Banzai鈥檚 attempt for a three-peat was thwarted,

As Tsunami鈥檚 best efforts were justly rewarded.

The We Can Shelter Society kept building,

A ninth sea-can home was completed this spring.

The community at Maple Pool continues to expand.

What a great thing for the Lins to do with their land.

Two new journalists the Record brought in;

Connor McDowell and Olivier Laurin.

They have been busy since arrival, keeping governments on their toes

They are both good at their jobs, not so much at dominoes!

Thanks to our newlywed senior reporter Erin

When I鈥檓 away she鈥檚 always ready to fill in.

Her husband, Jon, has cut us some slack

Frazier is easier to spell than Haluschak.

A shout-out as well to our publisher, Artur

For making the Record such a beloved paper.

I would have used his last name, but you see,

Very little rhymes with Ciastkowski.

To the rest of the Valley, thank you for reading.

If I made you smile, then my plan is succeeding.

For all you I鈥檝e missed, no apologies here.

Maybe you鈥檒l be included next year.

Terry Farrell is the editor at the Comox Valley Record鈥� and an admittedly bad poet.