Christmas
is in the simple joys of living
It’s in reading a story to the kids at bedtime
and having your neighbors over for dinner
It’s in a good bottle of wine
and a mug of hot cider after two hours of shoveling
and eggnog in the morning while still in your robe
It’s in black and white movies
and old Frank Sinatra records
and waltzing in the living room when you’re sure nobody’s around
and playing penny poker with your cousins ’till two
It’s in huge turkey dinners
and hundreds of relatives
and even more hugs
It’s in crystal glasses
and ringing bells
It’s in a warm roaring fire
Christmas
is in the lights of the city
It’s in cards addressing your mailbox
It’s in calling old forgotten friends
and making new ones
It’s in leaving work early
and shopping all night
and spending more than you can but knowing, somehow it will work out
It’s in seeing your sister on her way downtown
and stopping for lunch
and setting aside differences
It’s in “The Grinch who Stole Christmas”
and Chia pets on TV
It’s in friendship and love and all the good things in life
Christmas
is in a newborn’s gripping smile
It’s in playing with puppies in a fresh fallen snow
It’s in watching your breath drift away in great clouds of white smoke
and throwing a snowball at your brother when he least expects
It’s in a field of birch trees
and how it feels to run among them
and playing tag in the snow when you were eight
It’s in streets lined with giant trees
and houses like gingerbread frosted with snow
and the smell of chestnuts from the wood burning stoves of your youth
It’s in here. . .
and it’s out there
It’s the stuff that dreams are made of
Christmas
is in standing on Nicollet mall and saying to yourself . . . (just barely out loud) “Maybe, just maybe it’s worth all the cold and the snow and the heartache” because for a brief moment you realize that:
Every snowflake that falls has just a little touch of love
and every degree the thermometer drops is just a reminder to hold someone a little closer and a little longer
and every time your car won’t start and you have to walk six blocks to the bus stop it’s just a chance to experience and explore and realize how incredibly beautiful and awesome nature is
‘Cause it really is a Winter Wonderland out there and everything is… pretty cool.

• chestnuts
• Christmas
• joy