Making Christmas
Greetings, church family and friends!
Since I already filled your inbox with a book-length essay earlier this week, I thought I’d offer something a bit more concise this morning. On our drive back from Colorado this fall—everyone squeezed into the pickup, music playing, conversations rising and falling like the road beneath us—Aviva shared an Irish flute tune that lodged a rhythm and bounce in my mind. Before long I started hearing words to match it. So, with my hands on the wheel, I dictated lines while my daughter scribbled them down as fast as I could say them.
What I was trying to capture was the feel of Christmas as I’ve known it all my life: the bustle and brightness, the family scenes, the warmth of Christmas Day itself—and, underneath it, the deeper truth that Christmas isn’t only something we make. In its own way, it also shapes us—drawing us out of our ruts, softening our spirits, and calling forth more joy, more peace, more kindness toward each other. “Christmas is making us.”
By the next evening, the stanzas had settled into place. So without further commentary or qualification, here’s a little bouncy Christmas poem—one that I hope brings a smile to your face and helps you ease into the spirit of the season.
With love,
Asi
P.S. I’ve also got a Christmas story coming next week that I’m looking forward to sharing with you all.
Making Christmas
Making the cakes and cookies with icing,
Buying the gifts and checking the pricing—
Aprons of flour, cookie-dough tasting,
Smiles and laughter, plum-pudding hasting.
Little hands, big hands shaping the moment,
All our movements rhyme like a sonnet;
Filling the cards with bright, happy faces,
Words of goodwill and holiday graces.
Unpacking the manger, shepherds, Wise Men,
Holly and wreaths with the ribbons we tie them;
Smoking the turkey, the pheasant, the goose,
Cinnamon, spice—aromas let loose.
Mama, Grandma, uncles, and aunts,
Cousins, neighbors join in the dance;
Hugs and kisses, and weird fuzzy sweaters,
Cards by the dozen, warm Christmas letters.
We’re dashing and shopping, we’re singing and laughing,
We’re crafting and hiding our joy in the wrapping—
All of this bustle, the joy and the fuss,
Yeah, we’re making Christmas… yeah, we’re making Christmas…
and Christmas is making us!
Decking the dining room—roar of good cheer,
Mountains of food, the best time of the year;
After the meal, a nap and some pie,
Coffee at last and carols on high.
We sing to the Lord who came from above
And filled up our lives with undeserved love;
Then games and dominoes, puzzles and clues,
Guessing and laughter echo the news.
We’re dashing and shopping, we’re singing and laughing,
We’re crafting and hiding our joy in the wrapping—
All of this bustle, the joy and the fuss,
Yeah, we’re making Christmas… yeah, we’re making Christmas…
and Christmas is making us!
It’s shaping us softer, warming us through,
Making us kinder, and closer, and new.
We’re making Christmas… yeah, we’re making Christmas…
and Christmas is making us!
