Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the town
Cash registers were slowing
The economy's down.

But box stores were booming
Their sales were sure;
Lots of junk from China
They used as a lure.

A Mom & Pop owner,
Even I must admit
Gave into temptation
And thus did submit.

'Twas the promise of savings
Too good to ignore
So I made my way into
The local box store.

And under florescent lights
What did I see
But overworked employees,
And a cheap, broken TV.

Still I pressed on,
Coupons in hand.
There must be great gifts
Hiding in this land.

A sweater for Mother
Is what I did seek,
But last season's collection
Was not worth the peek.

I headed for the door
Planning my next trip
When the alarm went off
As I walked by with a clip.

Surely it was another
Who caused this demise,
But as I looked down
I met quite a surprise.

While scanning the store
Sadly straining my eyes
I had filled my cart
With all sorts of "buys."

No sweater for Mother
But a big bag of chips,
Two towels, a purse
And four different bean dips.

No perfect present
Sat in my cart
And I realized too late
What they do is an art.

Convince me to buy
Things I don't need,
Motivate the sale
By strategy and greed.

And that is why I,
(along with my friend Jack),
Said goodbye to this store -
We'll never be back!

But what to do about Mother?
And so we decide
We must keep going,
With Mom & Pop on our side.

The instant we landed,
We knew we found gold.
What unique gifts were here,
On sale, we were told!

Stuff made in the States,
Stuff made right here!
Good stuff that made
For real holiday cheer.

The stuff we liked most
Cost less than my trip
To the great Wall of Value
(Not including my dip.)

My presents were wrapped,
By them, not me!
Perfect little packages
Now sitting under the tree.

I had learned my lesson,
This one was tip-top!
When it comes to great gifts,
Shop Mom & Pop.