I’d like a stocking made for a giant,
And a meeting house full of toys;
Then I’d go out on a happy hunt
For the poor little girls and boys;
Up the street and down the street,
And across and over the town,
I’d search and find them every one,
Before the sun went down.
One would want a new jack-knife
Sharp enough to cut;
One would long for a doll with hair,
And eyes that open and shut;
One would ask for a china set
With dishes all to her mind;
One would wish a Noah’s ark
With beasts of every kind.
Some would like a doll cook-stove
And a little toy wash tub;
Some would prefer a little drum,
For a noisy rub-a-dub;
Some would wish for a story book,
And some for a set of blocks;
Some would be wild with happiness
Over a new tool-box.
And some would rather have little shoes,
And other things warm to wear,
For many children are very poor,
And the winter is hard to bear;
I’d buy soft flannels for little frocks,
And a thousand stockings or so,
And the jolliest little coats and cloaks,
To keep out the frost and snow.
I’d load a wagon with caramels
And candy of every kind,
And buy all the almond and pecan nuts
And taffy that I could find;
And barrels and barrels of oranges
I’d scatter right in the way,
So the children would find them the very first thing,
When they wake on Christmas day.