Photo courtesy of Baked by Yael’s Facebook page.

Yael Krigman emailed her bakery customers with the innocent suggestion to begin Christmas with schmear and end it with Szechuan. Alliteration aside, it seems they all took her seriously.

Recruiting her parents as staff, Krigman announced her Baked by Yael store would be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Christmas Day. The faithful made pilgrimages to Woodley Park for bagels. Demand outpaced supply—by a lot.

It inspired Krigman to write a poem and revise her game plan for New Year’s Day.

‘Twas the morning of Christmas, and in Cleveland Park
We started making bagels while it was still dark.
My parents and I hand-rolled, boiled, and baked
So our usual staff could stay home to celebrate.
When we opened the door, the crowds soon appeared,
In search of fresh bagels and a bit of schmear.
On Sesame! On Everything! On Poppy! On Plain!
As soon as we caught up, more people came.
We made dozens, and dozens, and dozens, and dozens,
But it wasn’t enough for everyone and their cousins.
We got lots of Christmas cheer, but also a few rants,
So we wrote this poem to remind you to order in advance!

To cure your New Year’s Eve celebration with glutinous and potentially gluttonous bagels, order online by noon on December 31. The minimum order is a half dozen bagels for $10.50. Pick up your bagels at the bakery (3000 Connecticut Ave NW) from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day. A very limited number of bagels might, maybe, possibly be available for walk-in customers.

Bullfrog Bagels (1341 H St NE) and Bethesda Bagels (1718 Connecticut Ave NW) will also be open New Year’s Day.