The following poetic adaptation is by Will, AA4NC. I’m just preserving for posterity.<\/p>\n
\r\n'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through PVRC,\r\nNot a creature was stirring, on CW or eS eS Bee;\r\nThe antennas were strung from the chimney with care,\r\nIn hopes that some sunspots soon would be there;\r\n\r\nThe contesters were nestled all snug in their beds,\r\nWhile visions of Top Ten scores danced in their heads;\r\nAnd 'QPL with his Orion, and I with my FT,\r\nHad just settled down for a QSO on 40,\r\n\r\nWhen on the bottom of the band there arose such a clatter,\r\nI tuned the VFO to see what was the matter.\r\nInto the pileup I flew like a flash,\r\nFired up the amp, sent a dot and a dash.<\/pre>\n<\/p>\n
The glow from the 3-500s, on the snow\r\nGave the luster of mid-day to objects below,\r\nWhen, what to my wondering eyes should appear,\r\nWith a strong HF signal, and eight QRP reindeer,\r\n\r\nA fast old operator, so lively and quick,\r\nI knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.\r\nMore rapid than eagles his QSOs they came,\r\nAnd he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;\r\n\r\n\"Now, NX9T! now, '4CIA! now, N4AF and AL4T!\r\nOn, 'KAZ! on 'YDU! on, 'CW and 'UCE!\r\nNow N1LN, 'ARB and NT4D, On 'TL, K4HA and 'CZ;\r\nTo the Top band! Contesters wall to wall!\r\nNow dash away! dot away! dash away all!\"\r\n\r\nAs PVRCers before the wild pileups fly,\r\nThey beat the QRM, antennas high in the sky,\r\nSo up to the tower top, the callsigns they flew,\r\nWith the sleigh full of new radio toys, and St. Nicholas too.\r\n\r\nAnd then, in a twinkling, I heard on the tower\r\nThe erection of new antennas of higher gain and power.\r\nAs I drew in my keying hand, and was turning around,\r\nDown the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.\r\n\r\nHe was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,\r\nAnd his climbing belt was all tarnished, with ashes and soot;\r\n'TMC's new K3 he had flung on his back,\r\nAnd he looked like a DXpeditioner just opening his pack.\r\n\r\nHis eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!\r\nHis cheeks were like roses, he'd been drinking the sherry!\r\nHis droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,\r\n>From too much phone contesting, don't you know;\r\n\r\nThe stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,\r\nAnd the smoke it encircled his headphones like a wreath;\r\nHe had a broad face and a little round belly,\r\nThat shook when the rate got high, like a bowl full of jelly.\r\n\r\nHe was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,\r\nAnd I laughed when I heard his QRP signal, in spite of myself;\r\nA wink of his eye and a twist of his head,\r\nSoon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;\r\n\r\nHe spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,\r\nRare callsigns filled his logbooks,\r\n adding double mults with a jerk,\r\n\r\nAnd laying his finger, aside of his nose,\r\nAnd giving a nod, up to 20 meters he rose;\r\nHe then sprang to the mult station, giving his team a quick whistle,\r\nAnd the score soon increased, like it was tied to a missile.\r\n\r\nI later heard him exclaim, on 3830 that same night,\r\n\"Happy Christmas to all, and to all 'a contesting good-night.\" \r\n\r\n73, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,\r\nWill AA4NC\r\n(with apologies to St. Nick, Rudolph and the other North Pole\r\nmulti-multi ops)<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The following poetic adaptation is by Will, AA4NC. I’m just preserving for posterity.<\/p>\n
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through PVRC, Not a creature was stirring, on CW or eS eS Bee; The antennas were strung from the chimney with care, In hopes that some sunspots soon would be there; The contesters were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of Top Ten scores danced in their heads; And ‘QPL with his Orion, and I with my FT, Had just settled down for a QSO on 40, When on the bottom of the band there arose such a clatter, I tuned the VFO to see what was the matter. Into the pileup I flew like a flash, Fired up the amp, sent a dot and a dash. […]<\/p>\n