In the spirit of the season, we decided to pay homage to one of the most well-known holiday poems, “The Night Before Christmas.” Putting a special twist on the classic rhyme, we call this version “The Commute Before Christmas.”

‘Twas the nighttime commute and all through the town,
The holiday traffic had everyone down.
No commuters in cars were moving at all,
They just sat still behind the miles-long traffic wall.

Horns were all honking, there was no spreading cheer,
As everyone shouted, “Let’s get outta here!”
“I wished I had carpooled,” lamented a driver,
“I know that decision would have been much wiser.”

Forget all this waiting and sitting alone,
We could be teleworking from the comfort of home.
“I think I’ll try it,” one driver said,
And enjoy a short commute from the desk to the bed.

Watching the MARTA train breeze quickly past,
The drivers all wished that they could move that fast.
We’ll never get anywhere with all these cars on the road,
We’ve got to do something to ease up the load.

Then a bright idea popped into their heads:
Let’s all try taking a clean commute instead!
I hear you save money and clean up the air,
Sounds like a great way to show the planet we care.

“We all discovered,” the drivers shouted with glee
“That clean commuting is best for the holidays you see!”
You beat all the traffic and save lots of time,
You don’t get frustrated while waiting in line.

We save lots of gas and earn extra cash too,
With Cash for Commuters they’ll pay you, it’s true!
Carpool, take transit – earn $3 a day
The savings add up and can go a long way.

What are you waiting for, give it a try,
You’ll smile as you kiss all the traffic goodbye.
If Santa could try it you know what he’d say,
“I love clean commuting, it’s the best way!”

From all of us at The Clean Air Campaign, we wish you and your family a happy (and traffic-free) holiday season.

The holidays are a time of reflection for many people. So, speaking in terms of commuting and sustainability, what stands out to you about 2008? And what, if anything, are you going to do differently next year? Weigh in on this blog and take our latest web poll. We'd love to hear your thoughts.