Our Family Christmas

The Holiday Season and Christmas trees
invoke in me childhood memories
when everything was full of magic and mystery.

The increasing angst as Christmas grew near,
the warming laughter of Yule-time cheer,
these are my favorite times in our history.

Lights and sights, cookies and cake,
sneaking into the kitchen while the goodies bake...
It all seemed to me like living in a dream.

Recreating and decorating to the records we had,
Concentrating and contemplating if I had been too bad,
I always figured I'd just have to wait and see.

Choosing and perusing for the right Christmas tree
and then Rocking Around it with Brenda Lee,
life was so perfect and made just for me.

The thrill and the will to go to bed before eight
listening to the roof for the creak of Santa's weight,
slowly I lost to sleep's powerful might.

I would wake and take to the living room
so fast I made a sonic boom,
and behold a most magical sight!

Presents piled high and in the tree's glow
excited me beyond anything I'd ever know
and off I would dash to my sister's bed.

I would wake her and get no fuss
and tell her of gifts that Santa brought for us
and we'd go to the tree without another word said.

We'd take and shake a gift or two
and then wonder aloud or simply argue
which of us would wake our Mom and Dad.

In the end we know both of us would go
and to their room we would tip toe
to open their door and silently peer in.

There they would sleep with the dreams they keep
and my sister and I would not make a peep
until our anxiousness over us would win.

Like a dream it seemed Mom's eyes opened and gleamed
and she'd smile a smile that just seemed to beam
and she'd rub Dad's back and coax Dad awake.

My sister and I would fly to the bed
and say, "Daddy get up, you sleepyhead!!!"
Dad would yawn and ask how many cookies did Santa take?

Then we would all walk through the hall
to the living room where we would fall
kids on the floor and the couch for Mom and Dad.

The cat climbed the tree, my sister giggled with glee,
I wished it was me, and Mom and Dad went to see
just how many cookies Santa had had.

Mom would make coffee so they could wake up
then they'd sit on the couch with a piping hot cup
and my sister and I would line presents in rows.

Dad would ask who would have Santa's task
of handing out gifts while we all would bask
under the tree in multicolored light.

So, Dad would decide and we would abide.
The choice was made clear when Santa's hat was applied
and there was never any fight.

Whether is was my sister or me, we both got to be
Santa for a morning throughout our Christmas history
and Christmas mornings always were happy and fun.

I would tear while my sister opened with care
all of the gifts that waited there
and Mom and Dad would sit back and smile.

They had gifts too and and quite more than a few
and opening gifts is what we would do,
leaving the paper in a mountainous pile.

So many joys and toys that Christmas employs,
I felt as one with other good girls and boys,
frolicked in the aftermath of such a wonderful day.

Christmas always made me feel like a real winner
and I ate voraciously at our Christmas dinner
and I remember my parents would always say:

"Hey kids, how was your Christmas?"
Never knowing they would eventually miss us
as we grew up and left our parent's nest.

But, we yearn to return when the Yule logs burn
and into winter the Season will turn
because Christmas time was always the BEST!!!