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Nelson Perez, writer, producer and director has created this short film as a labor of love; being from a military background, Nelson looked forward to the challenge of crafting a unique visual work of art from beautiful poem..

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TWAS THE NIGHT

twas the night poster

TWAS THE NIGHT VIDEO

This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan

Twas The Night Before Christmas,
He Lived All Alone,
In A One Bedroom House
Made Of Plaster And Stone.

I Had Come Down The Chimney
With Presents To Give,
And To See Just Who
In This Home Did Live.

I Looked All About,
A Strange Sight I Did See,
No Tinsel, No Presents,
Not Even A Tree.

No Stocking By Mantle,
Just Boots Filled With Sand,
On The Wall Hung Pictures
Of Far Distant Lands.

With Medals And Badges,
Awards Of All Kinds,
A Sober Thought
Came Through My Mind.

For This House Was Different,
It Was Dark And Dreary,
I Found The Home Of A Soldier,
Once I Could See Clearly.

The Soldier Lay Sleeping,
Silent, Alone,
Curled Up On The Floor
In This One Bedroom Home.

The Face Was So Gentle,
The Room In Such Disorder,
Not How I Pictured
A United States Soldier.

Was This The Hero
Of Whom I'd Just Read?
Curled Up On A Poncho,
The Floor For A Bed?

I Realized The Families
That I Saw This Night,
Owed Their Lives To These Soldiers
Who Were Willing To Fight.

Soon Round The World,
The Children Would Play,
And Grownups Would Celebrate
A Bright Christmas Day.

They All Enjoyed Freedom
Each Month Of The Year,
Because Of The Soldiers,
Like The One Lying Here.

I Couldn't Help Wonder
How Many Lay Alone,
On A Cold Christmas Eve
In A Land Far From Home.

The Very Thought
Brought A Tear To My Eye,
I Dropped To My Knees
And Started To Cry.

The Soldier Awakened
And I Heard A Rough Voice,
"Santa Don't Cry,
This Life Is My Choice;

I Fight For Freedom,
I Don't Ask For More,
My Life Is My God,
My Country, My Corps."

The Soldier Rolled Over
And Drifted To Sleep,
I Couldn't Control It,
I Continued To Weep.

I Kept Watch For Hours,
So Silent And Still
And We Both Shivered
From The Cold Night's Chill.

I Didn't Want To Leave
On That Cold, Dark, Night,
This Guardian Of Honor
So Willing To Fight.

Then The Soldier Rolled Over,
With A Voice Soft And Pure,
Whispered, "Carry On Santa,
It's Christmas Day, All Is Secure."

One Look At My Watch,
And I Knew He Was Right.
"Merry Christmas My Friend,
And To All A Good Night."

Anonymous

Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

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SAMPLE OF SCRIPT -TWAS THE NIGHT

OVER BLACK

The faint SOUND of something RUBBING breaks through the stillness. Softly at first then LOUDER but not disturbing. We HEAR a JINGLE BELL.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ROOM -- NIGHT

The camera breaks through the darkness revealing an open hearth in the far corner. MOONLIGHT fills the opening, spilling light into the surrounding area revealing a small wooden TABLE and chair.

SANTA

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

HE LIVED ALL ALONE

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE

MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

SANTA (V.O.) (CONT'D)

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE

ANGLE ON

We SEE the Figure of a LARGE man making his way from the open hearth. He stops briefly to let his eyes adjust. We SEE the SILHOUETTE of SANTA CLAUSE in front of the open hearth. BAG in hand he SURVEYS the surroundings.

SANTA (V.O.) (CONT'D)

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

ANGLE ON

The room brightens. We SEE the barren room with walls of PLASTER and STONE. A Table and chair hold a cup and saucer.

A lit candle sits atop. The flame FLICKERS casting a shadow on a left over MRE WRAPPER .

SANTA (V.O.) (CONT'D)

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