This month's limerick contest offered a choice of end words, to wit: "Thought Santa, while loading his sled/sleigh..."

The winner was a familiar name to this column -- Ken Layton, who has garnered several Limerick Laureate titles. His verses:

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

"Just why don't I stay home instead,

And play with the toys

I got for the boys,

Then cuddle with missus in bed?"

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

"Just look where all this has now led.

'Twas Sir Clement Moore

Who started this lore.

Why can't he drop off these toys instead?"

Ken Layton was born and raised in Greensboro. He graduated from Guilford College and taught English at Union Pines High School. He retired in 1992.

He and his wife, Glenda, have lived in Carthage for almost four decades. Besides writing limericks, Ken participates in poetry contests and has won several honorable mention awards, usually for light verse.

Layton is a winner too with his hobby -- computer sweepstakes. His greatest coup was a one-week vacation in Tahiti at Club Med.

Regina Armswood of Pinehurst sees the Claus family taking a similar vacation.

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

Next year I'll ship FedEx instead.

The reindeer and I

Will leisurely fly

And take Mrs. Claus to Club Med.

Ted Atwood of Seven Lakes envisions a high-tech traveler.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

"I hear there's a blizzard ahead,

But I have no fear

I have GPS gear,

It's the greatest concept since sliced bread!"

Ted also suggests the president-elect should underwrite Santa's excessive toy expenditures.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

"My accounts have slipped into the red.

Now I hope that Obama

Puts an end to my trauma,

And has me bailed out by the Fed."

John D. McConnell Jr., of Raleigh, conjures up an off-color Mr. Claus.

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

My suit's brown, not a bright shade of red.

I guess Mrs. Claus

Put the red dye on pause,

Now the kids think I'm Rudolph instead!

Southern Pines' Wally Stefany has the jolly one counting paid holidays.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

"Someone else can do this in my stead,

Because next Christmas Eve,

I'm taking paid leave

And living it up with Club Med!"

Here Wally deftly chides me for getting Santa's vehicle wrong.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

"What an hour to get up out of bed!

And, too, by the way,

What I drive is a sleigh;

It's what Clement C. Moore would have said."

Seven Lakes' Linda Rinaldi thinks the good giver may be faithful by default.

Thought Santa while loading his sleigh,

That lovely widow in Calais

Ask me to stop by

I'm not sure just why

But I fear I'm too old now to stray.

Jean Matyas of Anchorage, Alaska, has the great philanthropist avoiding travel altogether.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

I feel like just going to bed.

I'm getting too old,

My bones ache in the cold.

I'll mail all the presents instead!

Pat Black of Southern Pines sees Santa embracing the new and the old.

Thought Santa, while loading his sleigh,

Can't they get all this stuff on eBay?

I'll stay home for the night

Save myself a cold flight,

Also what happened to "Lay Away"?

West End's Hal Hudson has the plump one opting for a modern solution.

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

What if all of my reindeer had fled?

I couldn't deliver toys

To little girls and boys

Guess I would use FedEx instead.

Cheryl Marotta sees Mr. Claus yearning for a pullover.

Thought Santa, while loading his sled,

All night travel's the thing that I dread.

If the little elves

Could do it themselves

I'd pull bed covers over my head!

Nine-year-old Ramsey Goodwin of Eagle Springs thinks Santa is losing his grip on the reins.

Thought Santa while loading his sled,

Going to every household I dread.

Rudolph is missing

My elves are not listening

And my suit is too tight and too red.

Our current contest provides this leading line: "I squeamishly stepped on the scale..." Did the holidays wreak havoc with your diet? Deadline is Dec. 31, with results published on Jan. 25.

Here's the leading line for our new contest: "Now that footballs aren't filling the air..." Does this gladden your heart or dash your spirits? Deadline is Jan. 31.

E-mail your verses to joelimericks@embarqmail.com. Or mail them to Limericks, The Pilot, PO Box 58, Southern Pines, NC 28388. By submitting limericks, you agree to have them edited and published at any time without compensation.

Joe Piper, a resident of Seven Lakes, may be reached at joelimericks@embarqmail.com.