A Texas Fence Christmas Story

The following story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

 

Dear humble reader, filled with holiday glee—

Perhaps wearing a sweater near your Christmas Tree.

 

Christmas is upon us. Can you feel it in the air?

Maybe not in Houston, but it’s definitely there.

 

You’ve heard of sweet Rudolph, with his nose glowing red,

And of Frosty the Snowman, magic cap on his head.

 

But there’s one Christmas story that often is missed:

It’s a jolly old tale about Texas Fence.

 

It starts with Sally Jones, mother of five

Who lives in a home off Memorial Drive.

 

All year long, Sally works hard

As both a mother and head of HR.

 

She raised her kids to be good and not to play tricks,

And she cares for employees when they call in sick.

 

As you may have guessed, Sally loves Christmas

When she can give bonuses and fulfill her kids’ wishlists:

 

A scooter for Tommy! A doll for Cheryl!

And video games for Mark, Peter, and Carol!

 

Yes, Sally was giving without any pretense

But there was one thing she needed herself: a new fence.

 

Her old fence was grey and had twelve broken pickets.

Her dogs could escape. She couldn’t host picnics.

 

Sally’s fence was so bad it scared neighbors away;

It even caught the attention of the HOA.

 

“Sally,” said Marsha, HOA head,

“Your fence is a burden! It makes me see red!”

 

“I’m so sorry, Marsh,” Sally replied

“I’ve been trying to save, really, I’ve tried!”

 

Marsha told Sally that trying won’t cut it

“If it’s not fixed by Christmas, there will be repercussions.”

 

“Please” Sally exclaimed, obviously worried.

“You’ve got two weeks,” said Marsha, “You’d better hurry.”

 

Distraught and perturbed, Sally stayed up all night.

“What can I do?” she thought as she tried not to cry.

 

Her eyes wandered to the gifts lying under the tree.

“I couldn’t sell those,” she thought with defeat.

 

About to give up, Sally let out a sigh

Then something on top of the tree caught her eye:

 

A Christmas-time angel she made as a child,

Something about it made Sally Jones smile.

 

“Mommy” Sally heard a soft voice from the stairs,

‘twas her youngest child, Cheryl, who was holding a bear.

 

“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Sally replied

Cheryl went to her mom and sat by her side.

 

“I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept having bad dreams.”

Sally held Cheryl tight, “I know what you mean.”

 

“I dreamt that we had to move out of our home.”

“I won’t let that happen,” replied Sally Jones.

 

Sally’s daughter could tell something wasn’t quite right

“We should make a wish!” Cheryl said with delight.

 

Sally smiled at her daughter, so lovely and pure

“That’s a wonderful thought,” Sally said, reassured.

 

They looked up at the angel Sally made long ago

Sally wished for a fence; Cheryl wished for snow.

 

“Let’s go back to bed,” Sally said, feeling better

“And thank you for being so sweet and so clever.”

 

Sally tucked Cheryl back into her bed

They both said “I love you”; Sally kissed Cheryl’s head

 

A week before Christmas, Sally ran into Marsha

She tried to be nice, but Marsha was… Marsha.

 

“Hi, Marsh!” Sally said, genuinely upbeat

Marsha responded, “You have one more week.”

 

On Christmas Eve while her children were asleep,

Sally heard noises that came from the street.

 

First, she thought it was Santa, but she didn’t hear bells.

Instead, she heard people using hammers and nails.

 

Sally remembered the wish she had made

She wanted to peek but decided to wait.

 

Finally, it was Christmas, and her kids were ecstatic!

They opened their presents and laughed like fanatics.

 

Sally was happy, but still felt uncertain

Until the moment that she pulled back her curtains.

 

The joy Sally felt in her soul was immense

When she saw that it snowed and she had a new fence.

 

Sally turned to her children and said “Put on your coats.

We’re going outside to play in the snow!”

 

“Yay!” The kids shouted, excited as could be.

“We want to build snowmen like the ones on TV!”

 

The sight of this family playing out in their yard

Was enough Christmas magic to warm anyone’s heart.

 

Even bitter old Marsha couldn’t believe her eyes

“You know what?” she said, “The Jones’ are all right.”

 

One more mystery remains at the end of this tale:

Who installed Sally’s new posts, pickets, and rails?

 

Sometimes magic doesn’t have to make sense

But if you must know, it was indeed Texas Fence.

 

How, you may ask, did we hear Sally’s wishes?

Let’s just say we know a guy who delivers on Christmas.

 

That’s the end of our story, and we thank you for reading.

Have a very merry Christmas, and season’s greetings.

 

And if you’re like Sally, and need some fence heroes

Call (281) 807-7900