Tuesday, December 3, 2013

In Search of Christmas Day

 

Twas Christmas Eve and all through town the lights blinked red and green,
Snow was softly falling down where naked worlds had been,
Last minute shoppers rushed on home, discarding final lists,
While others packed up and left town to see dear folk they’d missed

Then, as I gazed on up the street I spied a form alone,
He wandered as if searching for something a long time gone,
He paused to view the festive scenes in windows twinkling bright,
Where ‘Merry Xmas’ signs were strung in honor of this night

Then up the silent street He trod, his steps were sad and slow,
Unlike the rush these walks had known a few short hours ago,
Past Santa’s smiling face he walked, past a twinkling Christmas tree,
Up to a window brightly lit where he could stand and see

Inside each person rushed about dreaming of Christmas day,
Dressing up the turkey or tucking last gifts away,
Dreaming of feasts, laughter and gifts, tables o’er-flowing with food
Trees laden down with presents for all, oh, what a holiday mood

Stockings were hung at the fireplace, everything was complete,
The table was set with cookies and milk for Santa’s special treat,
While folk all sang the Christmas carols and talked of Christmas cheer,
The stranger outside the window turned away and wiped a tear

Tis true, he cried, tis awful truth, I see it all too well,
The reason why they choose to cross out that first syllable,
Tis Merry Xmas, that is sure, the baby and Bethlehem’s star
Are simply vague traditions from the past, so faint and far

They’ve forgotten the ‘Christ’ is what this day is really all about,
That the true meaning is all gone if they choose to cross Him out,
They’ve forgotten, it is Christ, not Santa, that represents Christmas Day,
And in truth it is Merry Xmas if they choose to put him away

He wiped his tears and whispered, I’m sorry but I cannot stay here,
I simply do not feel at home amidst this festive cheer,
I watched him turn with broken heart and slowly walk away,
Twas then I saw the Man was Christ in search of Christmas Day

Janet Martin

I have had much encouragement to publish in a children's book the poem Jesus or Santa... I wrote that poem in part to try and help my little daughter understand that some jolly old Santa's (aka known as Grandpa:) are not BAD, bad! but in writing it I sometimes feel like I contradict my deepest belief and I would have NO misgivings about publishing the above poem as a book because this poem speaks my heart.

Yet, I would love to publish Jesus or Santa to draw attention to the REAL reason for the season.

4 comments:

  1. Yes,yes you really should.
    I see it...glossy pages and nostalgic images...Megan could design those...
    Okay now all we need is a publisher...:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. :) it's great to dream. generally publishers prefer finding their own illustrators but if I self-publish then that is up to me. Thank-you for the vote of confidence. if the Lord wills it will happen, right? it takes a lot of this $$$ to make a book! I told Melissa that suddenly I touch each book I read and say wow! they did it. Faith is the substance of things hoped for...:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Janet. We can let it be a 'tough one' or we can become very clear in our soul that we really do know what Christmas is truly about and then hold fast to it. You have done that in both pieces, Janet. Jesus or Santa, although fiction, is a wonderful response to reality. We can stick our head in the sand and pretend that Santa isn't going to be part of our Christmas, but no matter what we say or do our children (and we) will hear about the 'Santa part' of Christmas. To me, the key is to differentiate the two and make sure we keep Santa as the fictional man and Jesus as the Divine Son of God. Your words do this for me in a wonderful, gentle way. Santa is playful and a tradition. Jesus is soulful and Creator of all that is good (God said in Genesis that it was good!) I wished I would have had your poem when my children were younger. It would have helped me not be such a stick in the mud about Santa and better able to help show the difference and impress more the focus on the Real Reason for the Season. Another possibility is to publish a book of Christmas poetry for children! x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glynis, thank-you for clarifying what I have been sorting through. I value your voice deeply in this.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!