Midway along the course of the day
On which all men used to rest
I came to a place which seemed very grand
A gathering place for vast throngs of men.

‘Twas surrounded by thousands of vehicles
By which many came from near and far
To this gathering place, on this resting day,
“For what purpose,” I inquired of one who stood near.

“’Tis all to visit with the one who is here,”
Said he with a touch of disdain.
“They line up in droves, both young and old
For minutes upon hours each day.”

“They eagerly, impatiently wait their turn
To sit cozily up on his knee
To share their deepest wants and desires
And receive an image of they with he.”

“But who is he!” said I to him –
He must be one to revere
For on this day of rest they come
From far and near him to see.

“Who is he, you ask” he said with contempt
Many think they know who he is
But know not his identity, for he truly is
The imposter in red.

For an imposter is he, the one they adore,
Not a grand benefactor nor a rewarder of good
The one they cheer with all their might
Is none but a liar, a cheat, a fraud.

The imposter in red is aptly his name
For despite the rotund red suit
Beard of snow, and jovial face
His mission is deception, and the end is despair.

They say that he sees, yes that he knows
Which ones have been naughty, which ones have been nice
But there is only one who can know these things
And he is not that imposter in red.

The one who this imposter aspires to be
Did ascend on high and give gifts to men.
Likewise the imposter in red ascends, they say
And he gives gifts to sons and daughters of men.

They say the imposter in red
Represents one who once lived
Who cared for those in distress
And gave gifts to those in need.

But this one who gave to the poor
Believed in the truth, not this sad lie
His legacy is not, I surely must say,
Continued by this one, the imposter in red.

Furthermore, the imposter in red
Descends to where men live
Gives gifts which shall soon be forgotten
Takes milk and cookies and goes on his way.

But the one who he seeks to replace
Also descended to where men live
Became one of them, their debts to pay,
Gave bread and wine; his presence to stay.

‘Twas an enormous lie which smelt of smoke
When over five score years ago
Some evil folk deceived a child named Virginia
To entice her to trust in that imposter in red.

The imposter in red claims to bring peace
For the world ‘round thinks well of him
His peace is false, as so he is
Rooted only in man’s self-esteem.

The one who is many times greater than
This imposter in red, poor fraud that he is
This one came to bring peace to this earth
Which men find only through believing in him.

The imposter in red is a poor substitute
As I am sure you now see
Replacing the true giver of life
With momentary feelings which pass.

“But if this is so, then why do they all
Come here from so far away
To pay homage to him, and make their requests
When he is no less than a fraud?”

This I asked of my guide, who so clearly had shown
The difference between the truth and the lie.
“Why come to see him, especially on this day
When one greater than him they should see!”

“It is because,” he said with a sigh,
“He does not work alone. For he is a pawn
Of the one who is bound and whose fate is sure
Yet nonetheless seeks to kill and destroy.”

“For by the appeal of this imposter in red
The one who is cursed and whose fate is sealed
Can still persuade many to share in his doom
By hiding the truth so they believe in this lie.”

“This season is not about this imposter in red
But is about the one who became man
His own to redeem, to make right all that is wrong,
To heal the hurting and free the slave.”

“It is his coming that we should observe
For his coming brought peace, hope, and life.
Made men right with God, ever to dwell
With God forever, for all time to come.”

“The one whose days are numbered
Seeks to destroy all that he can
By hiding the truth of this Savior
Replacing it with the imposter in red.”

“He claims to reward the naughty and nice
According to the works of their will
A lump of coal, or a sack full of gifts
Shall be given to each as he does see fit.”

“But all works of the will are as trash
If done without faith in he who is true.
It’s not what we do, but what has been done
By the one who the imposter seeks to replace.”

“But one day all will praise and revere
This one to whom all glory is due
Though the imposter in red claims all the praise
He too must bow and admit his defeat.”

So take this to heart, on this day which is here—
Will you believe the imposter in red?
Or will you celebrate the coming of the one
Who came as a child and rules as our king?