Born In Humility Is The Nativity

Three weeks before Christmas and inside my house,

No presents were purchased not even by mouse.

With Black sales and Cyber deals far in the past,

Brain fog had settled. How long would it last?

Have the bargains on iPods all gone away?

And why was I feeling that’s really okay?

Mailing cutoffs to the Mainland soon would appear,

Yet I sat “chillaxing” with a warm cup of cheer.

No wreath or red ribbon hung anywhere.

No tree had been trimmed, no stockings hung there.

No cards with my picture wishing good will and peace

Were posted to ZIP codes from Haleiwa to Greece.

Singers had their specials on network TV,

Rocking the season in The Voice and with Glee.

What’s happening to me? I thought to myself.

Have I not got the spirit? Is it my mental health?

Then a vision of Christmas from many years past

Shot through my head like a big rocket blast.

There was I on the floor of our house on Monroe

Transfixed by a scene from a time long ago.

I was all of 6 years on this pre-Christmas night

When completely entranced, a mysterious sight.

The little wood structure was rustic and plain,

Made of cloth and paper, and maybe some stain.

Within its three walls three figures I saw:

A woman, a man and a baby on straw.

Outside the house were small carved sheep

And a boy with a pole watching them sleep.

On top of that shelter perched a star colored gold

Made of paper and glitter. Yes, worn some – and old.

“Nativity” was the word that my parents used,

A big word, a new word. It made me confused.

The baby, they said, came to save us from sin.

He was love and forgiveness, God’s son, born to men.

I fell asleep staring at that enchanting scene,

Trying to comprehend what all it did mean.

After 60 years later, it’s difficult to see

That our nation has become ashamed of the nativity.

The nativity, a symbol of Christ’s own humble start

Has been replaced across the land with a large shopping cart.

We have retail survival and consumer indexing.

It’s fiscal cliffs and national debt and things too perplexing.

The brave souls who founded the nation we cherish

Brought with them Christmas tradition never dreaming it could perish.

The birthday of Jesus, the flawless child of peace,

Has seen it’s importance ever steadily decrease.

So, the funk that’s had me frozen is really very clear.

That childhood Christmas meaning I’ve always held so dear

Ranks now beneath the value of most every commercial thing

That dulls the fragile spirit with its hollow, empty ring.

I’m not against the shopping or gifts to give away.

Business owners need love, too, but this is all I say:

Let’s keep Christmas Christmas, not just a bargain day

To remind ourselves of peace on earth and love that lights the way.

Merry Christmas to all.