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CHRISTMAS EVE
Sweet is the hour past midnight,
when angels gather and watch from above,
what happens in homes on Christmas Eve.
when children sleep, and all
is very quiet.
Packages appear from cellar, attic and closets
with rolls of paper and ribbons for wrapping,
and
mom smiles at dad, on his hands and knees,
reading assembly instructions written by Japanese.
Gifts are stacked
beneath and around the Christmas tree,
and only one task remains before parents stop to share
a kiss beneath the mistletoe,
and cup of Christmas tea.
Into each of the empty stockings hung from the mantle
they stuff sweets and nuts, oranges,
pears and apples.
But the greatest gifts of all that night, or any other,
are the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy,
patience and peace,
gentleness, goodness, and faith in abundance,
All these, together with meekness and temperance,
are gifts which cannot be bought, just accepted
and passed along, from loving parents to little ones,
who, in
their turn will share them with children of their own.
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