Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the housenot a creature was stirring, just my USB mouse;

The wife and the children are all settled in bed,As I sit at my desk scratching my head.

And while I’m sorting out my thoughts, Music is streaming over Rhythmbox.

The kids enjoyed beating me at Kbattleship.They also think Gcompris is quite a trip.

But TuxPaint is their clear winner. A great little program for little beginners.

Now with everyone in bed, the computer is mine.But there are so many choices, so little time.

A CD on the desk is calling to me,Perhaps now’s the time to try PC-BSD.

I could download LyX and give it a look,Maybe get started writing that book.

If I desire to pursue a dream, big or small,A FOSS program can be part of it all.

Many new users want to give FOSS a try,even if their questions make you want to cry.

We were all beginners once in this life,Let us be nice and put an end to the strife.

For most users, OpenOffice frequently makes sense,You can find other uses for your hard-earned cents.

GnomeSword, Firefox, Evolution or Thunderbird,Gimpshop, Scribus, Gnumeric or Abiword.

Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora or Mepis,Mandriva, Debian, PCLinuxOS or Knoppix.

This short list is popular for a reason,A good starting point for new users this season.

Options, options, so many more,Just have fun as you explore.

Interesting changes occurred in 2006,The most relevant one is quite hard to pick.

Mozilla ads started running on TV,And work begins on Firefox 3.

Dapper Drake, Edgy Elf and Feisty Fawn,(Do the Ubuntu names make you laugh or yawn?)

A number of other Distro’s were released into the fray,some weeks if felt like a new release per day.

But if you want to observe some real flame,Just mention Microsoft’s or Novell’s name.

It won’t really matter what you say,Someone will hate your opinion either way.

However; this holiday season, one thing I believe,That it is better to give than it is to receive.

The spare computer in the corner, what does it do?Except gather some dust and a cobweb or two.

There are many worthy charities,Why not configure the system using LiveCd’s?

Or what about my parents, who are still alive,Their computer is still running Windows ‘95.

What an embarrassment, what a shame!But, I have only myself to blame.

Please check out a book on humor next week,If you took this blog as anything but tongue in cheek.

But whatever your thoughts about ol’ Santa Claus.Whether you view FOSS as fun, idiotic or a worthy cause,

I simply wish each of you, as I turn out the light,A merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.