This holiday has turned out to be quite odd thus far. It's more of a melancholy
one than usual, and most of my holidays are melancholy anyway. A headache produced this strange thing... I never really liked the old poem anyway. I'm not too big on Santa Claus.
A Night Before Christmas Alternative
Twas a post modern Christmas and all through the house,
There were creatures stirring, both computer and mouse
The email notes waiting with no thought or care
Confirming delivery: Fed ex had been there
The kids had decided to all go to bed
With ipods and earphones attached to their heads
Mom plugged in the I phone and beckoned me do
Just turn of my blackberry and wireless card too
I laid my head down on the pillow to rest
And thought of the stresses that stir in my breast
My company talks about layoffs to come
And I wonder about my lean bank account sum
I heard the fed dropped the interest rate down
To keep the banks running right into the ground
I shudder to think of what this means for me
Along for the ride in this economy
Twenty years ago now, I once saw a sign
With numbers a flying that ever did climb
Announcing the level of national debt
Then a very large number, so high, I forget
The Christmas Eve snacks now all seem strange to me
With all kinds of low fat treats and sugar free
My hot buttered rum is now laden with soy
No butter, no rum that was once Christmas joy
My kids talked about some new thing called a Wii
In the morning they hope to find under the tree
I hope they are happy with what they receive
At least that is something I want to believe
I feel the cat snuggled at the bend in my knee
The cat can sleep soundly – that cat isn’t me
Like him I wish I could forget all this pain
And the cares of the world that just dance in my brain.
I’m glad that I had the chance to express
Gratitude to those that I was able to bless
With gifts that I gave them for all that they do
For being a blessing to me the year through
I heard at the door a soft pitter patter
And I lifted my head to look into the matter
My son, not quite five years old, whispered and said
He wanted to come and crawl into our bed
Soon mom got awake and we started to talk
My son said he dreamed that he took a long walk
He said he gazed into the sky in his dream
But there was not one star, or so it did seem
Sometimes all the stars in the sky shine so bright
And show all their splendor in the darkness of night
But we find, many times that sky does not shine
At times when life feels like it’s on the decline
Remember how clouds block the light of the sun?
Or how rainy days all seem to ruin our fun?
And my little boy uttered the wisdom he’d learned
Of how the rain brings forth the bounty of earth
We went to the window and looked into the night
To find the soft glow of the reflected light
And though clouds darkened the view of the sky
The new fallen snow glowed just like diamond fire
I remembered a lesson that I should know well
For I’ve walked with God long enough surely to tell
That just when we think that we’ve figured life out
That life’s lessons remind us what the world’s all about
It isn’t the stuff or our activities
Or pursing a life so we can live in ease
The Lord always provides everything that we need
By ways and by means that we can’t even dream
The future to come may not be like the past
And the beautiful awe of this moment won’t last
But I can remember the lesson I learned
Of the light in the darkness that we all can discern
When visions of care come to dance in your head,
And sugar plum dreams leave you feeling mislead
It’s not Santa Claus that we’re hoping to hear
It’s the Provision of God that soon will appear
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