Ragas surround the Christmas tree
At a house just down the block.
At another, playing airily
Is the latest Afro-pop.

You may get a universal feeling when you hear
Toys opened to festive "Allah";
"Shmekt gut," calls out a mensch, "challah."

Flockin' around pre-Christmas tree
Were pagans who came to play,
Drink, eat, dance, and sing so lustily
For a solstice holiday.

[modal interludes]

Transmogrified to Christmas tree.
Now it's carols that we sing.
In this song, haven't got the time
To explore the Santa thing.

You may get a universal feeling when you hear
Precedents in Nordic sagas. . .
Presents donned to Tantric ragas.

Raucous around a Christmas tree,
It's a hybrid holiday,
Practiced assimilatively
In the diverse USA.