'Twas the Saturday Before Christmas...

Hello and welcome to a snow-blowy Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is December 20th.

'Twas the Saturday before Christmas, when all through the house,
The stillness was broken by the click of a mouse.
Final gifts were being ordered with moments to spare,
In hopes that the older kids soon would be there.

The flour was dusted all over the trays,
As we baked in a sugar-sweet, buttery haze.
With gingerbread men and the scent of the pine,
Tilling the kitchen with memories divine.

Then out on the driveway there rose such a clatter,
I sprang from the counter to see what was the matter.
The car doors were swinging, the laughter rang bright,
As my "babies" returned in the glow of the porch light.

They burst through the door with their bags and their gear,
Bringing back all the chaos we’ve missed through the year.
The boots in the hallway, the coats on the chair—
A beautiful mess that showed they were there.

We gathered together where the hearth fire burns,
For games and for music and stories by turns.
The guitars were tuned and the carols were sung,
As we fell back to patterns from when they were young.

With strife in the streets and a world filled with gray,
Our home felt a thousand long miles away.
A small, glowing beacon, a warm, steady spark,
A soft ray of hope shining out through the dark.

For here in the laughter and cards on the floor,
Is the peace that we pray for and so much more.
As we quiet our hearts for the joy yet to be:
The birth of a Savior, for you and for me.

So we cherish the muddle, the talk, and the light,
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!