Another Christmas season”s here, the pond out back is frozen.
With trees to trim and socks to fill, this ain”t the time for dozin”.
The corn is in, the silo”s full, our kids are sure delighted;
The cows are in their cozy stalls and everyone”s excited.

While chasin” that black two year old, the nifty little sprinter,
I”m dreamin” of the sports events a-comin” up this winter.
Skatin”, hockey, sleds and skis — Olympic torch ablazing,
Those athletes from around the globe will truly be amazing!

I”ve always liked the winter games, almost since they began;
They”ll bring the world a sense of Peace all gathered in Japan.
I”ll watch the games in comfort, a-munching cheese and crackers
And hope they”re not in conflict with our Super Bowling Packers!

But then I got to thinkin”, and my mind began to brighten,
Olympic games on dairy farms could really be excitin”!
We slip and slide, go up and down, with everybody wishin”
For happy landings on our feet, but not in competition!

The triple jumps we”re practicing might not appear to matter,
But our Olympic score depends on missing all the splatter!
The tractor hits an icy spot, don”t know just where we”re heading,
Around the shed and through a fence, we do some fancy sledding!

To find the cow that calved last night requires no refereeing,
Across the marsh and o”er the snow I”ll go cross-country skiing!
And when that heifer slips away that”s feelin” mighty cocky,
I”ve got a durn good slap shot I might use for Holstein hockey!

We”ll soon be chanting “U!S!A!,” our hearts will be a-flutter;
But our Olympic gold remains Wisconsin cheese and butter!
Before the winter”s over, our farmstead games complete,
We”ll taste the thrill of vict”ry, and we”ll suffer through defeat.

Here”s hopin” that this winter all your problem cows will settle,
That you survive those barnyard games and win some kind of medal!
Here”s wishin” all your cows stay well, and Lambeau keeps on freezin”,
The best to you and all your kin, this Joyous Christmas Season!

This is the 30th annual holiday poem by Dave Dickson, poet laureate and emeritus professor of dairy science and dairy extension at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the holidays, Dickson will be practicing triple jumps at his family”s dairy farm near Everson, Washington.

Copies of “Christmas in Dairyland” are still available. This collection of Dickson”s holiday poems offers 60 pages of fun and reminiscence about cows, country living and Christmas. To order, send a $12 donation to the UW Foundation-Dickson Fund. All proceeds will go to support the CALS dairy cattle judging team. Send your requests (with your donation) to POEMS, Dairy Science Department, 1675 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706.