November/December 2025 Limerick Laughs Winner and Runners-up

Santa slipped into a slump,
His gumption was all out of gump.
With so much to do
And the hours so few,
The elves all set to on the jump.

Congratulations to Lauretta Ehling of Port Angeles, Washington, who won $25 for this limerick based on Santa with Elves, Norman Rockwells’s Post cover from December 2, 1922.

If you’d like to enter the Limerick Laughs Contest for our upcoming issue, submit your limerick via our online entry form.

Here are some of our other favorite limericks from this contest, in no particular order:

With Santa Claus giving out snores,
The elves started doing his chores.
When they opened the paint,
The fumes made them faint
Till the reindeer pushed open the doors!
—Bob Turvey, Stoke Bishop, Bristol, United Kingdom

We ought to be asking ourselves,
“Do we give enough credit to elves?”
They save Santa’s bacon
With a side hustle taken
To monitor children from shelves.
—Jeffrey Foster, San Francisco, California

Santa’s elves all work hard and here’s why:
They know Santa has heard of A.I.
Since helpers robotic
Sound rather exotic,
They hope he won’t give it a try.
—Justin O’Connor, Leeds, Massachusetts

There’s a truth I’ll no longer conceal,
Though I don’t know how children will feel:
Santa’s reindeer don’t fly
And he’s just an old guy —
It’s his magical elves that are real.
—Mark L. Levinson, Herzliya Town, Israel

We paint and we build and we pack;
But no one says, “I’ve got your back.”
St. Nick gets the glory
Despite being snore-y;
Support groups for elves we do lack!
—Lorraine Ray, Knoxville, Tennessee

Listen up! Here’s some late-breaking news:
Santa’s taking a much-needed snooze.
After working all year,
And with Christmas so near,
He’s imbibed just a bit too much booze.
—Rudy Landesman, New York City, New York

There’s an ache in my bones and my body.
And there’s no time to go to the potty.
It’s too much for one man,
But I’ve got a plan:
Next year I’ll say everyone’s naughty.
—Greg Landgraf, Chicago, Illinois

Though it’s really quite touching, this pic
of the bone-weary, snoozing Saint Nick,
May we readers who value
Our private space tell you
Those elves kind of give us the ick?
—Derek Kannemeyer, Richmond, Virginia

Poor Santa is so very tired,
From all of the work that’s required.
While he’s resting — not shirking —
We’ll keep right on working,
So we don’t all end up getting fired!
—Marcia Gunnett Woodard, Swayzee, Indiana