Thoughts From the Front Porch

For the past 12 years or more, I have designed our own Christmas cards using a new poem I write each year. I thought I’d meander through how these Christmas cards started.

Some year—I don’t remember which—I wrote what I thought was a funny Christmas poem that I titled “Scrooge’s Carol.” The words fit quite nicely to the “Ode to Joy” tune which is the same tune as “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” Quite pleased with it, I shared it with my elementary school students, and we had a ball with it. Well, the high school counselor heard us, and she blessed me out for ruining Christmas for the little folk. Fortunately, this counselor didn’t know little kids. My students knew the song we were singing was the biggest lie that ever came down the pike. Here is the poem, and if you know the tune sing along—with gusto!

Scrooge’s Carol
(Can be sung to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” tune.)

Trim the tree with thorns and thistles,
Tarnished tinsel, broken balls;
Poison ivy, wilted holly,
Sing, ye, mournful through the halls.

Wrap the boxes, empty boxes,
Pull the ugly paper tight;
Tie the bows with dingy ribbon,
Santa Claus won’t come tonight!

I’ve been tempted to to use this one on a card, but so far I’ve resisted the temptation.

Over the years I have written a good many serious Christmas poems—not all of them happy ones. I’m afraid the following one is a bit sarcastic, but it expresses my thoughts about commercializing Christmas.

Merry Christmas?

Trim again the Christmas tree,
this jolliest of seasons;
make it green with dollar bills
for avaricious reasons.

Let the tills ring merrily
at the Savior’s birth,
and celebrate His advent now
with debt and hollow mirth.

I’ve never been tempted to put that one on a card!

At some point—about two-thirds the way through my 39 years teaching—one of our 6th grade teachers, Mrs. Cowser, had her Language Arts students do original writings for a Christmas booklet. She also asked the teachers on the hall to contribute. I thought about Jesus being a boy growing up with friends his own age in Galilee, and I came up with this poem.

I  Wonder

What lullaby did Mary sing
To soothe her Baby’s fears?
I know she held Him very close
And dried His tiny tears.

Did Joseph make Him little boats
To sail on Galilee?
He surely taught Him how to fish
And swim the gentle sea.

He must have sometime made a kite
And played with little toys,
And chased the fireflies in the dark
For He grew up like other boys.

Although it is not really a Christmas poem, it was the poem that sparked my idea for doing our own cards. That first year, I just photocopied the poem and put a copy in each card we sent. The next year I designed my own and had them printed at Data Control in Pell City. The last few years I’ve designed and printed them from my computer.

About 3 years ago, I started emailing Mark Martin the Christmas poems, and he posted each new one on www.stclaircountyal.com.

Next week I’ll post my 2008 Christmas card poem.

Joe’s Meanderings is a series by Joe Whitten.

Joe's Meanderings