aus was doing all right Christmas Eve until he hit the Southwestern Panhandle country. As soon as he did, a blue norther sweeping across the prairies sent his reindeer fleeing for the comparative warmth of the North Pole. Santa--Stetsoned, booted, and bundled to his nose--stomped through the blizzard until he came to a small sod shanty and corral. A dim flicker of firelight came through the whistling cracks in the door. And so opens this Christmas book from the pen of James Rice, now available in full color for the first time. A seasonal treasure for both children and adults, Cowboy Night Before Christmas traces the unlikely teamwork of Santa, two freezing cowboys, and a bunch of longhorn cattle "a mite short on brains" as they struggle to ensure that Christmas does indeed come on schedule. A new twist on the classic Christmas poem, this book plays off of its Southwestern setting and the drawling dialect characteristic of this part of the country. With richly humorous illustrations by Rice--an artist well known for his delightful drawings--Cowboy Night Before Christmas is a welcome addition to any collection of Christmas tales and legends.