Christmas Is Such A Good Idea,
I Wonder Who Thought It Up!

 ^1. The malls overcrowded with shoppers,
all desperately trying to find
That one special gift guaranteed to provide
delights that boggle the mind.

 ² Franticly they continue to shop
until all their money is gone,
But there's no need to worry this year
for the credit card lets them shop on!

³ Ah yes, this is Christmas, just one scene we love,
And to make ourselves feel extra jolly,
We string lights in the windows and lavishly fill
All our rooms with garland and holly.

  ⁴ Friends will stop by for a visit,
And for that we must "put on the dog"
Extra food is made ready with goodies and punch
It's Christmas, and we're going "whole hog!"

 ⁵ What a great idea, Christmas --
I wonder who dreamed it up
With Santa and Rudolph, and all of the elves
Giving children a chance to get "stuff".

⁶ The songs that we hear in this season
Confuse the astutist of men;
The stories they tell are a strange combination
Of fiction from "way back when."

⁷ This guy we call Santa Claus puzzles me too
Really, what sort of person is this who
Invades people's homes, then casually waits
To give the lady of the home a kiss.

  ⁸ But all is forgiven when stockings are filled,
And presents are left for the children
Who leave him a treat (cookies and milk)
And dream of what Santa might bring them.

 ⁹ Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Seems a very strange custom indeed,
I never have figured it out, myself
Though it beats asking Santa for teeth!

 ¹⁰ With all these mysteries about Christmas
I admit that it still has me hooked
You'll have to agree it's the best time of year
I know 'cause I've looked and looked.

¹¹ So whose idea was Christmas?
I'd like to meet him and say,
"What is the meaning behind it,
And why won't this warm feeling stay?"

 

Angels Touch Their
Harps of Gold

Favourite Christmases
Copyright Grace Baxter, 1989

It's cold outside, crisp and white; bright stars fill the sky
On nights like this I reminisce of Christmases gone by.
I wish that I could go back there and live them all again,
Favourite Christmases I've known still warm my heart as then.

Christmas trees and holly leaves, firesides aglow
Stockings hung expectantly by children full of hope.
Carols sung at evening-time, loved ones gathered near
My favourite Christmases contain these memories I hold dear.

But there's one Christmas, I recall, more precious than them all
A newborn babe, an infant King born in a lowly stall.
An angel choir sang out the news and all who heard rejoiced,
Our greatest hope, this One so small, was God's own perfect choice.

Yet as I ponder Christmases that I have loved before
I hang my head in shame to think -- I should have loved Him more.
The gift of Christ is still availed to people young and old
Who've somehow let life's worldly glitz stand in for God's pure gold.

This year I want my life to shine far brighter than seasons past
Revealing the Christmas spirit in loving ways that last.
Lord Jesus, please accept my love though feeble at its best
And live through me that all may see Your Spirit, this Christmas.
____________________________________________________________
The inspiration for this poem came when I tried to write a new Christmas song. I realized that the full meaning of Christmas is not talked about much anymore. As I began writing line after line, the whole poem spilled out onto the paper quickly. There was no way I could put all this into a song. It would be necessary to leave out too many important pieces. So here you have it... a true life story from my own collection of Christmases past, and what they mean to me.